Career and technical students in the local area won some of the nation's highest awards at the SkillsUSA Championships, held in Louisville, Ky., on June 26 and 27. More than 6,500 students competed at the national showcase of career and technical education.
Students were invited to demonstrate their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in 103 hands-on competitions including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. Industry leaders from 600 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. More than 1,100 industry judges and technical committee members participated.
A total of 1,122 gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to students. Many winners also received industry prizes, tools of their trade or scholarships. Skill Point Certificates were awarded in 72 occupational and leadership events to students who met a predetermined threshold score in their competition, as defined by industry. The Skill Point Certificate is a component of SkillsUSA's assessment program for career and technical education.
Meghan Braas, a resident of Columbia and a student at Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) in Willow Street, was awarded the high school silver medal in nurse assisting. Elizabethtown resident Blaike Kessler, a student at LCCTC Brownstown, was awarded the high school silver medal in electrical construction wiring. Austin Kline, a resident of Wrightsville and a student at Automotive Training Center in Warminster, was awarded the college bronze medal in marine service technology.
The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. More than 360,000 students and advisers join SkillsUSA annually, organized into more than 20,000 sections and 53 state and territorial associations. The national, nonprofit partnership works to help solve the skills gap. For more information, readers may visit http://www.skillsusa.org.
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