Late last month, the SkillsUSA Championships were held in Louisville, Kentucky as part of the SkillsUSA 55th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for public high school and college/postsecondary technical students enrolled in career and technical education programs. SkillsUSA organizes this event, and it is considered the single greatest day of industry volunteerism in America each year.

During the week, more than 6,800 outstanding career and technical education state level winners competed hands-on in 103 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like Drafting, Welding, and Automotive Service Technology. All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, and test competencies, which are set by industry. In addition, leadership contestants demonstrated their skills, which included extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure.

The SkillsUSA chapter of Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) was represented by Megan Cooper of Norman Park, who competed in Architectural Drafting, Logan Paramore of Sylvester, who competed in Cabinetmaking, Josh Fargnoli of Moultrie, who competed in Electrical Construction Wiring, and the Welding Fabrication team of Jake Rice of Ashburn, Felipe Rodriguez of Tifton, Jace Tison of Doles, and Tim Minter of Tifton. All of SRTC’s competitors placed in the top 20 nationwide, with Josh Fargnoli placing 4^th in his field.

In addition, high scorers in the contests received Skill Point Certificates.  A pinnacle achievement for SkillsUSA members as part of the Work Force Ready System is the awarding of Skill Point Certificates. Earning a Skill Point Certificate is a significant achievement that documents a student’s knowledge and abilities within a certain area. This criterion is developed and endorsed by industry representatives. Josh Fargnoli of Moultrie and Logan Paramore of Sylvester each received Skill Point Certificates in their fields, signifying that they achieved technical competencies and proficiency on the national level.

In addition to student winners, SRTC was recognized as a Quality Chapter in the Chapter Excellence Program (CEP). CEP honors chapter achievement relative to the SkillsUSA framework of developing personal, workplace and technical skills. The framework actualizes SkillsUSA’s mission “to empower members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.” It also serves as the blueprint for career readiness. Paramount to framework success is the creation and implementation of an effective program of work — SkillsUSA’s planning tool for chapters. By participating in program of work activities, SkillsUSA chapters become conduits for meaningful student growth. The CEP recognizes these efforts by offering every chapter an opportunity to attain measurable competencies in pursuit of framework objectives.