Highlights from the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference
From June 24-28, skilled-trade students and professionals from around the country met in Louisville to compete and share their work.
SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, was off to a festive start after the opening ceremony on Tuesday night. The conference spanned 4 days, with the final awards ceremony taking place Friday, June 28, at 5 p.m., and dozens of competitions and demonstrations happening throughout the week. This conference is SkillsUSA’s annual event where more than 19,000 students, teachers, leaders, and representatives from 600 organizations ranging from national corporations to labor unions come to participate. There are more than 50 SkillsUSA University seminars at the conference and over 100 trade booths at the TECHSPO trade show that takes place during the first three days on the competition floor.
The Highlight of the Event
The centerpiece of the conference is the SkillsUSA championship, where 6500 student contestants compete in 103 different hands-on skill and leadership competitions. Ranging from architectural drafting to carpentry to commercial baking, students will work against each other and the clock displaying their expertise in their respective fields. Each contestant is already a state gold medalist and will be competing for a national gold medal. Along with the gold medal, contestants compete for tools of the trade, scholarships, and other industry awards. Fine Homebuilding is proud to be a part of this event. We’ve teamed up with SkillsUSA and several sponsoring organizations to create the #KeepCraftAlive scholarship, which awards $2500 to a minimum of 12 students in the construction field, whether it be architectural drafting, carpentry, cabinetmaking, electrical and residential wiring, HVACR, masonry, woodworking, or plumbing.
Scholarship Winner Profiles
The #KeepCraftAlive SkillsUSA scholarships cover the full spectrum of the design and construction trades. Visit each of the pages below to read profiles on all of the winning students:
| Construction Technology | Electrical & HVAC | Welding, Masonry, & Cabinetmaking | Architecture |
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Supporting the Next Generation of Skilled Tradespeople
The National Leadership and Skills Conference is in its 55th year and continues to be the single largest day of industry volunteerism in America as well as a wonderful opportunity for students, educators, and business professionals in the skilled-trade world to connect. The conference employs hundreds of volunteers across the four days to ensure the event runs smoothly. If the competition scene doesn’t pique your interest, the TECHSPO Trade Show is something you would hate to miss. The trade show will have exhibits from major tool companies and SkillsUSA partners where merchandise will be displayed. Some of the 142 exhibits will be organizations showing and explaining different career opportunities throughout the trade fields and the military. The trade show is free and is a fantastic environment to learn about the latest trends, technology, and careers in the industry. Another wonderful opportunity for students regardless of graduation date is SkillsUSA’s Meet the Employer even,t taking place Friday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. An anticipated 50+ employers will be running booths and a career-development seminar will also take place; students are highly recommended to attend and bring resumes.
The SkillsUSA organization does a tremendous amount to support current and future members of the skills industry, and this conference is just one way they do so. If you’re a member in the industry near or far, help #KeepCraftAlive by supporting SkillsUSA and this conference as well as all future ones to help minimize the skilled-trade gap.
– Jack Cohen, FHB editorial intern
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