Scholarships Provide Registration Fees to Attend National Conference
Leesburg, Va. — Thanks to a grant from Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, 53 student members and advisors of
SkillsUSA from across the country received scholarships to participate in
SkillsUSA’s 57th National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), held virtually June 14-24, 2021.
The annual NLSC is considered the world’s largest showcase of skilled trades. Thousands of students, teachers, education leaders and representatives from hundreds of national corporations, trade associations, business and labor unions participated. The highlight was the annual
SkillsUSA Championships, with 107 hands-on skill and leadership competitions. When held in-person, it occupies space equivalent to more than 20 football fields. In 2021, due to health and safety concerns surrounding the pandemic, all events were held locally and were virtual or hybrid.
“We sincerely thank Harbor Freight Tools for Schools for supporting America’s future skilled workforce,” said
SkillsUSA’s executive director, Chelle Travis. “Our students and teachers are grateful for the support they received. The
SkillsUSA Championships and NLSC recognizes students and provide much-needed support for their teachers to ensure America has a future skilled workforce. We could not deliver our mission without partners like Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that Harbor Freight Tools for schools has provided scholarships for skilled trades students to participate in
SkillsUSA’s national conference.
The
SkillsUSA conference showcases skills like carpentry, electrical construction wiring, cybersecurity, automated manufacturing technology, graphic communications, mobile electronics installation, information technology services and medical assisting. The competitions are planned by industry professionals to the standards for entry-level workers in each occupational area.
“Every year we are extremely impressed by the passion and hands-on skills demonstrated by students participating in these rigorous competitions, especially during this challenging academic season,’’ said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “We are thrilled to support
SkillsUSA in their important work in promoting excellent skilled trades education.’’
For more about this year’s virtual National Leadership and Skills Conference and the
SkillsUSA Championships, go to:
www.skillsusa.org/competitions/skillsusa-championships/.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand,
SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This
SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through
SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with
SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job.
SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. We have served nearly 13.8 million members since 1965. For more information:
www.skillsusa.org.
About Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt, to support the advancement of skilled trades education across the United States. With a deep respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, this program was created to foster and shine a light on excellence in skilled trades education in public high schools. Believing that access to quality skilled trades education gives high school students pathways to graduation, opportunity, good jobs and a workforce our country needs, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to stimulate greater understanding, support and investment by public entities and others in skilled trades education. Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program. For more information:
harborfreighttoolsforschools.org.
SkillsUSA Contacts
Jane Short or Karen Kitzel,
SkillsUSA
703-777-8810
jshort@skillsusa.org or
kkitzel@skillsusa.org
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Contact
Lee Condon
424-299-2320
LCondon@hftforschools.org
