Students Connect with Community and Advocate for Career and Technical Education during SkillsUSA Week

Efforts Support Workforce Development and Closing the Skills Gap

Leesburg, Va., Jan. 28, 2025 — SkillsUSA, the #1 workforce development organization for students, announced plans for SkillsUSA Week, which will be celebrated Feb. 2-8, 2025. At a time when opportunity for employment is critical, SkillsUSA ensures students are equipped with the technical skills and the personal and workplace skills to successfully enter the workforce. Career and technical education and SkillsUSA work together as a vital solution to our nation’s growing skills gap.

SkillsUSA Week, celebrated in February which is designated as Career and Technical Education Month, highlights more than 413,000 SkillsUSA students and teachers in career and technical education programs at over 4,900 middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions.

“SkillsUSA Week is one of our most important weeks of the year. It is exciting for students to plan and carry out their own events and this is an opportunity to highlight the many excellent career-focused programs in schools and the partners who support them,” says SkillsUSA’s Executive Director Chelle Travis. “SkillsUSA helps define student excellence as a verified talent pipeline that graduates over 100,000 students each year who are career ready.”

For this year’s SkillsUSA Week, SkillsUSA students from across the nation who serve as national officers to represent all members will travel to Washington, D.C. on Feb. 6 for Advocacy Day. The 14 students will meet with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor to share their stories and career plans. In the afternoon, the students will conduct three legislative visits on Capitol Hill. While in the nation’s capital the students will also receive advanced training, visit a SkillsUSA partner, tour a high school and hold virtual visits with students in other states.

Students nationwide are planning their own events to amplify opportunities in the skilled trades as they demonstrate career readiness skills and carry out chapter activities. The week will include open houses, community service projects, presentations and visits with elected officials. Local chapters follow themes for each day of SkillsUSA Week:

• Monday is Recognition Day, where teachers, administrators, partners and supporters are recognized and honored.
• Tuesday is Give-Back Day,where students rally around their school and community by focusing on ways to give back using their career-ready skills.
• Wednesday is Partner Day, where students connect with local business and industry leaders to highlight the importance of career-readiness and the skilled trades.
• Thursday is Advocacy Day, where schools amplify the skilled trades through success stories shared at advocacy visits and through public relations activities.
• Friday wraps up the week with SkillsUSA Day, where students show their pride by wearing SkillsUSA shirts, posting on social media and holding recognition events.

Be sure to follow SkillsUSA Week on social media and look for the tags #SkillsUSA #SkillsUSAWeek and #CTEMonth. For more about SkillsUSA Week and to see photos, go to: www.skillsusa.org/events/skillsusa-week/.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students, empowering them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. SkillsUSA represents more than 413,000 career and technical education students and teachers in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. Those members represent 130 in-demand occupational areas, from 3-D animation to welding. A vital solution to the skills gap, SkillsUSA has served over 15 million members since its founding in 1965. Learn more at skillsusa.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.