TEACHER’S PASSION FOR INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS

Tis a shining example of what it means to be dedicated to teaching, the construction industry and her passion of passing knowledge to the next generation.

After graduating from welding school and working in the construction industry for two years, Brinkman’s high school welding teacher, longtime Maxwell High School Welding Instructor Charles Kachmar, contacted her about Thomson High School starting a construction education program.

“Mr. Kachmar was my introduction to trades, and I ended up in his class because it counted as a senior math credit,” Brinkman said. “I didn’t think I would do it as a career, but as time progressed, I fell in love with it.”

As Brinkman’s passion for the trades continued to evolve, so did her ability. She competed in the 2016 welding sculptures competition at SkillsUSA and took home first place in the state. Now, in her fourth year as a teacher at Thomson High School, Brinkman thinks it’s important for her students to put their skills to the test just like she did when she was in their shoes.

“I love the AGC Georgia Skills Challenges because they allow you to see the fruits of your labor. I push my students to be the best they can and it proves that we’re doing something right when students place,” she said. “It makes us feel good when we go up against schools that have been going to these challenges for a decade. In my first year of teaching, we got second place in beginner welding, several top overall and individual placings with six overall first place wins and we had five out of 10 students that we took to Moultrie last year place in the top 10.”

Brinkman added that the AGC Georgia Skills Challenges are beneficial for her students because the competitions force her students to adapt and work within time constraints, which in turn makes them more well-rounded welders.

“Anyone can weld with blueprints they know in a welding booth that they are comfortable with,” she said. “But, taking them out of their comfort zone without them knowing what to expect allows them to prepare for a career because it’s reflective of what happens on a real job site.”

Brinkman believes that it is imperative for schools to have support from the industry, which allows for students and programs to be introduced to companies that could be their future employers and supporters.

“These connections are important because it allows students and our industry supports to have an established relationship before the student graduates from high school,” she said. “The AGC Georgia Skills Challenges not only allow students to connect with industry companies, but it allows people like me to connect with them, too.”

Brinkman noted that different companies want to see students learn different skill sets, and in order to do that, programs need funding that empower the schools to teach the skills.

“You can’t just rely on standard funding from your annual budget,” she said. “Having industry support allows you to develop your program. For instance, I met an industry supporter at the Statesboro Skills Challenge that wanted our students to be able to TIG weld aluminum. They decided to help us obtain three TIG welding machines and now we are going to be able to teach this skill.” ■

According to the 2023 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook released earlier this year by AGC of America and Sage, contractors are optimistic about the construction outlook for this year, yet they are expecting very different market conditions than 2022. Contractors are less optimistic about many private-sector segments than they were a year ago, while their expectations for the public sector market have remained relatively bullish. The bottom line is that contractors have high hopes for public funding in 2023 even as they expect to cope with continued supply chain challenges and workforce shortages.

The changing outlook reflects the fact that higher interest rates and evolving work and shopping patterns are impacting office, retail, hospitality, and multifamily residential demand. The prospect of an economy that is slowing and perhaps heading into recession has dimmed the short-term outlook for warehouses, data centers, and manufacturing plants. At the same time, many contractors hope to finally see the benefits of a flurry of new federal investments in infrastructure and construction. This includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act and the so-called