Viega Supports SkillsUSA to Champion Workforce Development, Help Close Skills Gap

Helps Students to Demonstrate their Skills

Leesburg, Va. — Viega LLC has announced support for SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit focused on workforce development. The 2021 sponsorship will support the mission of SkillsUSA and the manufacturing career cluster of the national SkillsUSA Championships. The Viega Group is among the leading manufacturers of pipe fitting installation technology. In the U.S., Viega LLC employs more than 600 people and offers more than 3,000 products.

The Viega sponsorship will support the following group of manufacturing-related SkillsUSA competitions in 2021: Additive Manufacturing; Automated Manufacturing Technology; CNC Milling Technology; CNC Technician; CNC Turning Technology; Humanoid Robotics (demo); Industrial Motor Control; Major Appliance and Refrigeration Technology; Mechatronics; Mobile Robotics Technology; Residential Systems Installation and Maintenance; Robotics and Automation Technology; Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue; and Technical Drafting.

“SkillsUSA salutes Viega LLC for this partnership, which includes support for our workforce development events for middle-school, high-school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in public career and technical education programs,” says SkillsUSA’s executive director Chelle Travis. “Our students deserve this opportunity to receive useful leadership training and showcase their technical skills. As a verified talent pipeline and skills gap solution, SkillsUSA graduates 100,000 students each year who complete their technical programs and are career ready. We could not deliver our mission without this crucial partner support.”

“Viega LLC and the Viega Trades Education Network (VTEN) are proud to partner with SkillsUSA,” said Viega Trades Education Network Program Manager Daniel Rademacher. “SkillsUSA provides a valuable service to young people looking for opportunities to advance their life skills in pursuing a career in plumbing, plumbing service, HVAC service or any of the pipe trades. We look forward to being an integral part of SkillsUSA‘s mission to help instill confidence in students to pursue their passion in the career path of their choice.”

At the virtual SkillsUSA Championships, state gold medalists who advanced to national competition will be tested in 106 leadership and hands-on occupational skills contests, the majority of which are STEM-focused. Competitions are as diverse as Carpentry, Electrical Construction Wiring, Cybersecurity, Automated Manufacturing Technology, Graphic Communications, Mobile Electronics Installation, Information Technology Services and Medical Assisting. Competitions are planned by industry to its standards for entry-level workers.

For more about this year’s virtual National Leadership and Skills Conference and the SkillsUSA Championships, go to: www.skillsusa.org/events-training/national-leadership-and-skills-conference/ and to www.skillsusa.org/competitions/skillsusa-championships/.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the 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 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 more than 372,000 annual members nationwide in high schools, middle schools and colleges, 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. With the addition of alumni, membership last year was 434,141. SkillsUSA receives in-kind and financial support from more than 650 national partners and has served more than 13.6 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.

About Viega LLC

For more than 120 years, the Viega Group has led the way in plumbing and pipefitting installation technology. With more than 4,700 employees worldwide, Viega is among the leading manufacturers of press fitting technology, and in metal press systems for industrial, commercial, residential and marine projects, the company is the global market leader. In North America, Viega LLC employs more than 600 people and offers an extensive catalog of more than 3,000 products. These include Viega ProPress® for copper and stainless, Viega MegaPress® for carbon steel and stainless pipe, the Viega PureFlow® System including PEX and fittings in high-performance polymer and Zero Lead bronze, as well as MegaPress CuNi and SeaPress® systems for marine applications. Viega also specializes in the design, production and installation of radiant heating and cooling systems, and offers Viega Flushing System Technology including carriers and flush plates. For more information, visit viega.us.

SkillsUSA Contacts

Jane Short or Karen Kitzel, SkillsUSA 703-777-8810 jshort@skillsusa.org or kkitzel@skillsusa.org