Friday Flash 9-28-2018

Registration is Open — Enjoy the Benefits of Professional Membership

The SkillsUSA registration site is officially open for the new school year. If you need assistance with SkillsUSA membership or registration, hotline operators are ready to answer questions about starting a new chapter, ways to engage chapter members or strategies to strengthen an existing chapter. Operators are on call 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday (Eastern time). To reach the hotline, call 844-875-4557 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also chat online on the membership registration site.

Professional members receive these great benefits:

2018-19 SkillsUSA Championships Technical Standards. The latest edition will be available by Oct. 1. The official competition guide for the SkillsUSA Championships contains rules for all national competitive events, including an overview, lists of technical skills and knowledge required, clothing requirements, eligibility and equipment lists. Note: Because of the constant need for updates, both the latest SkillsUSA Championships contest updates and the official SkillsUSA Championships scorecards are located online here.
Jump into STEM! Curriculum includes middle-school and elementary-school STEM career exploration activities that can be taught by high-school members. This is a great opportunity to expose students to STEM careers and recruit for career and technical education programs as well as SkillsUSA.
SkillsUSA Career Essentials: Foundations. This complete curriculum includes 29 lesson plans that support the SkillsUSA Framework and prepare students for workplace success. Career Essentials: Foundations is the first building block in the suite of products offered through the SkillsUSA Career Essentials.

SkillsUSA professional members receive all of these materials when they submit membership along with a valid email address. The 2018-19 SkillsUSA Championships Technical Standards and other materials are provided through a digital delivery system. National dues for professional members are $20 plus state dues, which vary. The complete listing of 2018-19 state dues and deadlines is online or in the mailed membership kits.
Becoming a professional member of SkillsUSA is one of the best ways to demonstrate to students the importance of joining a professional organization and the opportunities that membership will provide.

Check Out New Educational Resources

The 2018-2019 SkillsUSA Educational Resources Catalog has been mailed. No additional catalogs will be mailed during the 2018-19 school year. To shop online, go to: www.skillsusa.org/store/
For a PDF of the catalog, visit: www.skillsusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2018-2019-SkillsUSA-Ed-Resources-Catalog.pdf

Resources for New Perkins Law Available

President Trump recently signed into law H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, the bill that reauthorizes the 2006 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. We now have a new law governing the federal investment in CTE. Our friends at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and Advance CTE have done a great job of sharing information and resources as the new legislation moved forward.

Now that the dust is settling, you may wonder what is different. ACTE has provided the following resources for Perkins, including a recorded webinar that highlights changes from prior legislation, definitions of key terms, accountability indicators, state and local planning, and more. ACTE resources are at these links:

Summary of the new law: www.acteonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/AdvanceCTE_ACTE_P.L.115-224Summary_Updated080618.pdf
Press statement on enactment: www.acteonline.org/press-releases/acte-advance-cte-statement-upon-signing-of-perkins-cte-reauthorization/
Perkins V recorded webinar Aug. 2: https://youtu.be/hBIvziHgYyg
Perkins V resources can be found on Advance CTE’s Perkins webpage: https://careertech.org/Perkins
Career and technical education communications tools and resources can be found on Advance CTE’s website here: https://careertech.org/recruitmentstrategies

If you have questions on the new law after viewing these materials, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Perkins V Question.”

Plan Now to Participate in Manufacturing Day

Manufacturing Day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Manufacturing Day occurs on the first Friday in October. While Manufacturing Day is officially Oct. 5, SkillsUSA chapters can plan events on any date in October that works best. Events for students can include a plant tour, a virtual tour, an event on your campus that highlights manufacturing, and more.
SkillsUSA chapters are asked to share Manufacturing Day photos and stories with communications specialist Hayley Uffelman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For resources, or to find events in your area, go to: www.mfgday.com.

Help is Only a Call, Email or Chat Away!

Everyone needs a little help now and then. Let the SkillsUSA Membership Hotline operators help you solve your problems. Hotline operators are ready to answer your questions on how to start a new chapter, engage chapter members and strengthen an existing chapter. Operators are on call from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (Eastern time) Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. (Eastern) Tuesday and Thursday. Call the hotline toll free: 844-875-4557.

Don’t have time to call? Send the operators an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or chat with them online at the membership registration site.