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Senior Center Visits Benefit All Involved

Visiting seniors in Reading, Pa. Photo: Lisa Hughes, SkillsUSA advisor, RMCTC. Used with permission. Students at Reading-Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center wanted to bring cheer to residents of a local senior-living facility. What they got in return was a lasting bond. The Pennsylvania students set out to deliver 100 “blessing bags” of toiletries as well as pens and pencils, playing cards, puzzles and word search books. They also did crafts, offered manicures and played bingo offering donated prizes. The residents were thrilled, and the students were moved as the two generations got to know each other. Many students... Read More

Learn, Give, Empower

Photo: Orange Technical College, Orlando, Fla. Used with permission. At Orange Technical College in Orlando, Fla., students have conducted numerous projects that help them meet their community service theme: Learn, Give, Empower. Projects have included preparing and delivering meals to the homeless (pictured above), delivering Thanksgiving food baskets to 65 needy families, hosting a fair to connect volunteers to agencies in need of help, cleaning the grounds of a Salvation Army Center and providing items for sheltered animals at the Pet Alliance. Read More

Because High School Can Be Scary

In Stockton, Calif., to quell the anxiety of incoming freshman, some of the upperclassmen at Cesar Chavez High School agreed to connect with those who signed up for mentoring during orientation. Older students hosted icebreakers, exchanged contact information and coordinated meetings to help the newcomers understand their new environment. During the meetings, they discussed classes, clubs, sports, extracurricular activities and SkillsUSA. Read More

Ignore Email Solicitations Claiming to Sell SkillsUSA Lists

Periodically, people affiliated with SkillsUSA receive emails from various companies trying to sell an attendee list from one of our conferences or from SkillsUSA TECHSPO. These are not legitimate offers. Rest assured, these companies don’t have a real list from SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA never sells our attendee lists or email lists. Offers claiming to sell these lists are fraudulent. The people who send these messages are not affiliated with SkillsUSA in any way. Avoid interaction with these solicitors. The best thing you can do is report their messages as spam and delete them. Read More

One Team Helps Another, and Everyone Becomes a Winner

Photo: Presque Isle (Maine) High School. Used with permission. Coach Brian Hamel (pictured kneeling, front row, far left) needs community funding so his Snowdogs basketball team can attend the Special Olympics Maine state tournament. The Snowdogs got a major assist from another team, three SkillsUSA students from Presque Isle (Maine) High School. Griffin Guerrette, Ryle Mortland and Randon Mortland (back row, center) helped raised money for the Snowdogs as a project in their SkillsUSA Community Service competition. Working with Hamel, the state gold-medal-winning team sent letters to businesses, requesting donations to cover transportation, hotel fees and other... Read More

SkillsUSA Alumni News: December 2018

Pictured above, top row, left to right: Heather Carpentieri (state-level competitor), Josie Wolfe (past national officer and national medalist), Sierra Slocum (regional competitor); bottom row, left to right: Jacqueline Mearman (SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends executive board Region 1 representative and national medalist) and Kaylin Braun (new volunteer/state-level judge). Like Icing on the Cake: For Its Pastry Program, Restaurant Group Focuses on SkillsUSA Hires Executive Pastry Chef Jacqueline Mearman is a SkillsUSA professional partner intentionally hiring SkillsUSA alumni based on the personal, workplace and technical skills gained from participating in SkillsUSA. The... Read More

SkillsUSA Participates in Education Dialogue Between U.S. and China

On October 31, SkillsUSA executive director Tim Lawrence participated in the 4th U.S.-China State and Provincial Education Leaders Dialogue: Technical and Vocational Education and Training. The meeting gathered officials from the U.S. Department of Education and the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, U.S. State and Chinese Provincial Education Chiefs, and career and technical education (CTE/TVET) directors and providers. The dialogue included a focus on national, and state and provincial CTE/TVET policies and work-based learning and industry partnerships. Secretary of Education Betsey DeVos opened the event and referenced the importance of these people-to-people learning exchanges, and... Read More

SkillsUSA and NASSCO Team Up to Support Outstanding Skilled Trades Students

Leesburg, Va. — SkillsUSA is proud to announce that the National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) has signed on to become an official sponsor of the organization. NASSCO is committed to setting industry standards for the assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure, and to ensure the continued growth of trenchless technologies. “The underground infrastructure industry offers extremely viable and robust career opportunities in the water and wastewater sectors,” said Sheila Joy, NASSCO’s executive director. “Using impressive trenchless technologies that minimize the need to dig up pipes literally has changed the landscape for hiring young workers. Our partnership with... Read More

SkillsUSA Names 3M’s Maureen Tholen as Chair of the SkillsUSA Foundation

Helps Improve Quality of Nation’s Future Workforce Leesburg, Va., Oct. 22, 2018 — Maureen Tholen, sustainability director for 3M’s Industrial Business, and Safety and Graphics Business Groups, has been named as chairperson of the SkillsUSA Foundation Inc. The foundation is SkillsUSA’s philanthropic arm. Comprised of representatives from business, industry, organized labor and others who assist in fundraising, it offers expert advice and counsel to the organization. The foundation meets quarterly and raises 25 percent of SkillsUSA’s operating budget each year to support SkillsUSA’s core mission and related programs and events, including the WorldSkills competition. At 3M, Tholen focuses on sustainability... Read More