Hundreds of high school construction students from across Northwest Georgia converged on the Rome River Center on Tuesday, Nov. 4, demonstrating their mastery of essential industry competencies at the annual Northwest Georgia Skills Challenge.

The event, which aims to inspire the next generation of industry professionals and address critical workforce needs, concluded with a significant victory for local talent as Chattooga County secured the Overall Team Winner title, taking home the coveted Gold Cup.

The Northwest Georgia Skills Challenge brought together over 200 competitors and 100 observers from construction-related educational programs in 14 local counties, including Floyd, Bartow, and Chattooga.

The rigorous competition was a collaborative effort between the Associated General Contractors of Georgia (AGC Georgia), Duffey Southeast, Inc., and RaLin. It serves as one of eight regional Challenges hosted throughout the state, collectively involving over 2,000 students from more than 100 schools.

Dan Baker, CEO of co-host Duffey Southeast, Inc., emphasized the importance of the partnership in preparing the future workforce. “We’re proud to partner with AGC Georgia, RaLin and local industry to host this event. All our organizations have the shared goal of building our future workforce and inspiring the next generation to pursue rewarding careers in construction,” Baker said.

Real-World Skills Put to the Test

Students competed for top honors across a wide array of disciplines designed to test practical, real-world trade competencies. These included both traditional craftwork and specialized fabrication skills:

  • Blueprint Reading
  • Cabinetmaking
  • Carpentry
  • Electrical
  • Masonry
  • Metal Studs/Drywall
  • Plumbing
  • TeamWorks
  • Welding
  • Welding Fabrication

Chattooga County, in particular, delivered a dominant performance across nearly every field, registering multiple first-place finishes throughout the day.

Chattooga County Construction Students Shine

The Chattooga Construction and Welding Skills Teams secured an impressive list of top-three placements, culminating in the overall team victory:

First Place Winners:

  • Cabinet Making: Corbin Wiggins
  • Masonry: Cody Corbin
  • Plumbing: Riley Willis
  • Welding (Individual): Parker Powell
  • Welding Fabrication Team: Landon Dawson, Cooper Hampton, and Skyler Ward

Other Top Placers: