R.W. Allen, the general contractor for the Grovetown High School construction project, got a look Friday at its prospective employment pool.
A group of 16 Harlem High School construction students toured the Chamblin Road site as part of a newly formed partnership between R.W. Allen and the Columbia County school system.
The joint effort will give students an inside look at commercial construction projects and the possibility of landing a job with R.W. Allen after they graduate.
John Martin, the vice president of operations, said the company likely will hire two interns and train them as project managers this summer. He said the company will interview Harlem and Evans High construction students for the positions.
"We want kids that want to go into the work force and learn how to supervise on the job," Mr. Martin said. "Our industry's aging. Our seasoned work force is aging. We want to take young kids that are interested and motivate them."
Carroll Morris, a Harlem High construction teacher, said his students get hands-on experience by building structures at the school. However, he thought they could benefit from seeing workers in action on a larger project.
"The best way for them to find out if they like this or not is to actually come out and see what's going on," he said.
Most of the students at the site were seniors. However, a few of them, such as Matt Kane, 16, were sophomores who will be zoned for the new school when it opens during their senior year in 2009.
"I like it. I want to come here," Matt said.
He said the students saw concrete being poured for athletic complex bleachers and learned how construction workers use math skills to calculate the amount of concrete they need. He said he hopes to follow his father into the construction business.
Senior Derek Smith, 17, who said he enjoyed seeing the workers perform their jobs, would like to pursue a career in electrical engineering.
"I love construction. Morris is a good teacher. I wish I had his knowledge," Derek said.
The students saw workers lay brick and cinder block, assemble walls and perform plumbing tasks.
"The more you see it happen and are exposed to it, the more you understand it. It makes understanding a textbook easier," Mr. Martin said. "There's a lot of great jobs and good paying jobs in construction."
Reach Betsy Gilliland at (706) 868-1222, ext. 113, or betsy.gilliland@augustachronicle.com.
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Construction interns..... Wow what a cushy job future.
Somebody has to do it James! If we had no construction workers we would have no construction! If this is something that the students are interested in and want to make a career out of it then more power to them! If they start at this age and manage their money wisely they could retire by the time they are 50!
Actually thats what I do. No A/C, no heat, and you have to earn your money. Retire at 50... nope maybe at 90 lol. I did ride the housing bubble but now it is slowing down. My problem is that I am good at what I do and I dont trust anyone else to do it with my name on the line. So I am on every job working right along with the help. I know I need to get over it and get 2 or 3 jobs going at a time and ride around checking up, but I just cant bring myself to risk having an unhappy customer....