Leesburg, Va. — Distribution Contractors Association (DCA), headquartered in Richardson, Texas, has announced support for
SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit focused on workforce development. The 2019 sponsorship will support the mission of
SkillsUSA and several national programs that help
SkillsUSA instructors and their students become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.
Thanks to this DCA partnership,
SkillsUSA will receive support for the 2019 National Leadership and Skills Conference, June 24-28 in Louisville, Ky., including a Meet the Employer event, the construction sector of the
SkillsUSA Championships, the
Awards and Recognition conference publication, a state
SkillsUSA director’s breakfast and
SkillsUSA Champions magazine.
“
SkillsUSA salutes the Distribution Contractors Association for this partnership, which includes support for our workforce development event for middle-school, high-school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in public career and technical education programs,” says
SkillsUSA’s executive director, Timothy Lawrence. “The
SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference is the largest hands-on showcase of skilled trades in the nation. It is attended by 18,000 students, teachers, education leaders and representatives from 600 national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions.
SkillsUSA lifts up and recognizes students and provides much-needed support for their teachers to ensure America has a future skilled workforce. We could not deliver our mission without partners like DCA.”
“DCA is very proud to formalize our relationship with
SkillsUSA through this partnership,” says DCA Executive Vice President Rob Darden. “The quality and character of the
SkillsUSA students is exactly the type of individuals that thrive in our industry. The underground construction industry has a massive need for skilled workers. There are 2.1 million miles of natural gas pipelines, most of which needs to be replaced and repaired. The job opportunities in the industry for young people today could lead to a very lucrative lifetime career. These are jobs that provide high tech training, rapid advancement, excellent salaries, and an opportunity to build and improve our nation’s infrastructure.”
For more about the 2019
SkillsUSA Championships, visit:
www.skillsusa.org/competitions/skillsusa-championships/.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a vital solution to the growing U.S. skills gap.
SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens as it improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce. The nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry ensures America has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive.
SkillsUSA helps every student excel through the development of
SkillsUSA Framework skills that include personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. The association serves more than 360,000 member students and instructors per year in middle schools, high schools and colleges. This diverse talent pipeline covers 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, the majority STEM-related. More than 600 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions actively support
SkillsUSA at the national level. Local, state and national championships are designed and judged by industry to set relevant standards for career and technical education and provide recognition opportunities for students.
SkillsUSA programs also help to establish industry standards for job skill training in the lab and classroom and promote community service.
SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is cited by the U.S. Department of Labor as “a successful model of employer-driven youth development training program”.
SkillsUSA offers technical skill assessments and workplace credentials through the
SkillsUSA Career Essentials program, a cutting-edge solution that defines, implements and measures career readiness skills for students. For more information:
www.skillsusa.org.
About Distribution Contractors Association
The Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) is a member-centered, professional trade organization formed in 1961 to facilitate the exchange of information related to the construction and maintenance of gas distribution pipeline systems throughout the United States. DCA serves as a link between members, government agencies, organized labor, and other industry organizations and has built close working relationships with utilities and the associations that represent them. DCA is comprised of nearly 240 companies including local, regional and national contractors and the equipment manufacturers, distributors and other companies that support them in the safe installation of natural gas pipelines and other underground utilities. The association actively promotes the industry and continually works to develop and improve quality, safety, best practices, and leadership. DCA is headquartered in Richardson, Texas, near Dallas. For more information:
www.dcaweb.org.
SkillsUSA Contacts
Jane A. DeShong Short, Program Manager
Public Relations/Communications
Phone: 703-737-0612
jshort@skillsusa.org
Karen Kitzel, Associate Director
Public Relations/Communications
Phone: 703-737-0607
kkitzel@skillsusa.org
