6000 Career And Tech Students Compete During SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, the world’s largest showcase of skilled trades, returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center June 25-29. The event brings with it an estimated economic impact of $18 million to Louisville.

More than 16,000 middle-school, high-school and college students; teachers; education leaders; and representatives from national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions participate in the event.

The conference highlight is the annual SkillsUSA Championships. During the competition, top career and technical students participate in more than 100 hands-on contests, representing a wide range of technical, skilled, service and health occupations, including:

• Architectural drafting
• Welding
• Carpentry
• Firefighting
• Cosmetology
• Plumbing
• Culinary arts
• Aviation maintenance technology
• Crime scene investigation
• Electrical construction wiring
• Masonry
• Digital cinema production
• Practical nursing
• Sheet metal

In addition to competing, 600 Skills USA students will complete community service projects in the greater Louisville community. Projects range from framing houses for Habitat for Humanity to helping clean up local parks.

SkillsUSA Championships is free and open to the public Wednesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is $8 per car, $20 for a bus.

The mission of SkillsUSA is to ensure a skilled workforce by preparing students for success in their chosen technical, service and health fields. Founded in 1965, the organization has served 12.5 million members, and more than 335,000 advisors and students participate each year.

For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.