When students begin High School in Georgia, each student is encouraged to join a pathway even though pathways are not a requirement to graduate. Upon choosing a pathway, students take classes tailored to their pathway, which help them navigate their way to greater success – no matter what they choose to do after High School graduation.
Out of the many different pathways available, construction taught by Matthew White, is a popular choice among students at Statesboro High School (SHS). Currently there are over 140 students in the construction pathway at SHS.
In order to complete the pathway and graduate, students must complete levels 1, 2, and 3. Level 1 is Industry Fundamentals & Occupational Safety. This course includes a safety section that must be completed before students are able to enter the lab. Level 2 of the construction pathway is an Introduction to Construction course. In Level 2, they work in the areas of electrical, plumbing and masonry. In Level 3 of the pathway, students pick Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, or Masonry to delve deeper in their study of construction.
Throughout the courses in the construction pathway, SACK makes an effort to help out the program in any way they need. Fred Hill, HR manager at SACK, regularly makes visits to the classes to talk about skills the students will need to enter the construction workforce. SACK sponsors students during competitions and last year Fred even drove the schools trailer to the Skills Challenge competition in Augusta, Ga put on by the East Georgia Workforce Development Alliance.
The students will compete in this competition, which SACK is supporting, again next month in efforts to showcase their abilities in the areas of carpentry, plumbing, masonry, electrical and welding. This year, over 700 people are expected to attend the event at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds in Augusta. For those who cannot attend, the event will be live streamed through the SHS website. http://esenetworks.com/page.aspx?id=15402&page-id=18519
The SHS Construction program will have the following students competing in the competitions:
Carpentry- Sarah Dabbs, Oscar Chaves, Durden Gagel
Plumbling- Jake Meeks, Usman Chaudhry
Electrical- Chandler Cowart, Andrew Williams
Masonry- Brayan Escudero, Xavier Robinson
Supporting the Skills Challenge is just one of the ways that SACK is continuing to be a part of the solution to the workforce issue the construction industry is facing and to show their continued support of the construction programs in area high schools.
In business since 1945, SACK’s corporate office in in Statesboro, Ga, with two other locations in Savannah and Dublin. SACK is one of the largest commercial and industrial contractors for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing operations in the southeast. Additional services provided by the company include an industrial division that specializes in millwright and rigging services, piping and equipment relocations, plus a maintenance division that works with small businesses, commercial, institutional and industrial clients providing HVAC service, maintenance, installations and repair.
We’re committed to hiring, training, growing and retaining the finest workforce in the industry. Join our growing team today.
