Andrews – School officials teamed up with a local business and the community college to bring shop class back to Andrews High School.
“We want this to be the model for bringing back these types of classes that give kids an opportunity to use their hands and learn a trade,” Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Jeana Conley said.
Beginning this year, Andrews High students will have the chance to learn welding skills, courtesy of a partnership between the school district, Tri-County Community College and Interstate Welding.
Interstate Welding in Marble donated about $2,800 to purchase helmets, jackets, gloves, safety glasses and other essential welding tools for 14 students to begin learning the trade. In exchange, Andrews High will continue advertising the company on the fence surrounding the football field.
Meanwhile, Tri-County Community College will provide an instructor to teach the students.
“The population has dwindled in Andrews, so in order to have a class we need a certain number of students to justify it financially,” Conley said in explaining why Andrews High hasn’t offered shop class the last four years. "We got the impression that Tri-County will continue the partnership as long as we can provide at least six students a semester.”
Due to limited space at the high school, some welding students will attend class at the college campus in Peachtree each day.
“To make it fair, we drew names to decide which student was going where,” Principal Lance Bristol said regarding the decision to split the class across campuses.
He added that there have been discussions about ways to offer electrical, mechanical and agriculture classes to Andrews students as well. “We're doing everything we can to give kids the opportunity to learn a trade.”
Gordon Fairlie, a sales rep at Interstate Welding, said he’s happy to see local schools are actively working to provide youth vocational skills.
“These skilled labor jobs are always going to be in our world,” Fairlie said. “Your employability is never going away if you can weld. It’s essential for everything, from building vehicles to homes.”