2018 State Conference Press Release and Results

[4/8/2018] The SkillsUSA state championships were recently held in Bloomington, MN, and took place on March 27-28, 2018. The annual SkillsUSA conference was a showcase of career and technical education students where more than 600 outstanding career and technical education students from around the statecompeted in 60 hands-on state contests in different trade, technical and leadership fields.

During the state SkillsUSA competition, students worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as carpentry, technical drafting, collision repair technology, CNC Technician, automotive service technology, culinary arts and diesel equipment technology. All contests are run with the help of over 400 industries, trade associations and labor organizations, testing competencies set by industry. In addition, leadership contestants demonstrated their skills, which included extemporaneous speaking, prepared speech and job interviewing. Note: for a description of a particular contest, go to:
https://www.skillsusa.org/competitions/skillsusa-championships/contest-descriptions/

Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and scholarships to further their careers and education. The state championships event is for high school and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA. Special Awards were presented on Wednesday evening, March 28th. Mr. Michael Albers- Stillwater Transition Program, High School Advisor of the Year. Mr. Jim May- Hennepin Technical College-Brooklyn Park, College Advisor of the Year. Friend of SkillsUSA Minnesota: Mr. John Raphael, MN Department of Education and Industry Partner of the Year: IDEALS Industries, INC. Nolan Dynan a student from ISD 917 CTE received the 2018 MN Alumni Scholarship. SkillsUSA first place state winners will head to Louisville, Ky., June 25-29, 2018, for the 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. More than 16,000 people — including students, teachers and business partners — are expected to participate in the weeklong event. The SkillsUSA Championships will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. More than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students –– all state contest winners –– will compete hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computeraided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. The competitions will be open to the public and free of charge.

The week caps off with the Awards Ceremony, which takes place on Friday evening at KEC’s Freedom Hall.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a vital solution to the growing U.S. skills gap. The nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry ensures America has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, the association serves more than 335,000-member students and instructors each 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. 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. SkillsUSA supports its student members through the development of SkillsUSA Framework skills that include personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. Local, state and national championships, designed and judged by industry, set relevant standards for career and technical education and provide recognition opportunities for students. SkillsUSA also 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 about SkillsUSA Minnesota, please visit http://www.mnskillsusa.org/