He graduated a month ago. Now Phenix City teen is building new parts of Central High
Dearius Scott, who graduated last month from Central High School, wasn’t only learning masonry during his senior year. He is using those skills to work on the construction project expanding Phenix City’s career and technical education program.
“I get to take a firsthand look at the building before anybody else does,” Scott, 18, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s satisfying seeing your product come out.”
Seeing one of his students help construct a building on the school’s campus, Central masonry teacher Mike McCraine told the L-E, is “wonderful. I can talk until I’m blue in the face about what we’re doing, but to go out on a job and see it, it’s amazing what they learn.”
‘Knows what he’s doing’
McCraine explained why he recommended Scott to Mark Ellis, vice president of Columbus electrical company SM Ellis.
“He knows what he’s doing,” McCraine said. “He does all of his work. A very quiet, polite young man.”
Ellis hired Scott last year through Central’s co-op program. Scott worked on constructing an Alabama Department of Human Resources office on Opelika Road. Then, SM Ellis became one of the subcontractors building the annex at Central, where Thayer-Bray of Phenix City is the general contractor.
Scott started on the Central job site Aug. 31.
“He’s willing to learn, which is a big thing,” Ellis told the L-E. “He’s asking questions. He’s on time. He’s there every day. … He’s a very smart individual, and he’s picking up on everything really, really quick.”
During the school year, Scott usually worked 7-10 a.m., then attended classes. When school isn’t in session and this summer, he extends the shift to 3:30 p.m.
“It’s pretty cool that he’s able to take care of a job and school in one location,” Jason Sasser, director of career and technical education for Phenix City Schools, told the L-E. “. . . He could be in the first year of a lifelong career.”
Rare program
Central is one of only seven Alabama high schools teaching masonry, according to the Mason Contractors Association of America.
More than 1,000 students participate in at least one of Central’s 14 career tech departments, Sasser said. That’s a majority of the enrollment, which was about 1,290 in grades 10-12 and 510 at the freshman academy this year. Scott was among 25-30 masonry students, he said.
“I think the kids are more attracted to the shiny things, the computers and the drones and coding,” Sasser said.
So he’s glad students such as Scott still are interested in the craft.
“That’s what drives any local economy: the infrastructure, the construction,” Sasser said.
Just ask Ellis. Since the 2008 recession, and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been tough to find qualified workers, he said. Ellis has about two dozen employees, but there’s enough demand to hire another half dozen.
“We’re having to say no to some jobs that we would want to take if we had the manpower,” he said.
Central’s program enabled Scott to earn masonry certification as a sophomore from the National Center for Construction Education and Research. But he had to wait until he turned 18 to work on a job site.
Job outlook
The 2020 median pay for masonry workers was $47,710 per year and $22.94 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“And you don’t have any student loans because you’re learning everything on the job,” McCraine said.
Although overall employment of masonry workers is projected to decline 3% from 2019-29, job openings for that career are expected to average 24,800 during that span due to workers choosing different occupations or retiring, according to the bureau.
Scott plans to attend the Independent Electrical Contractors apprenticeship program in Columbus. He appreciates Ellis paying for that training as part of his job compensation.
“A lot of students, they go off to college, and they be in debt,” he said. “I ain’t got to worry about that.”
Scott’s goal is to own a company in the construction industry or, as he put it, “whatever position makes me the most money and able to maintain and be stable in life.”
Regardless of the job, Scott wants it to be hands-on.
“I just can’t sit down and type on the computer all day,” he said. “I just like helping build stuff and learning new things.”
The hardest part of this job, Scott said, is the pace and pressure. One mistake, he said, could mess up an entire plan. Nonetheless, coworkers welcomed him.
“Everybody treats me good,” he said.
Two other students, both attending Jordan Vocational High School, are working part-time with Ellis this summer and plan to continue during the school year through the Muscogee County School District’s work-based learning program. They’re another example of Ellis’ two-decade commitment to invest in future workers, hiring a few per year. About half become full-time employees, he said.
“We’re hoping they’ll stay on after they graduate like Dearius,” Ellis said. “I don’t think the labor shortage is going away anytime soon.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
