Local students honored at Annual SkillsUSA Workforce Development Event
Jun. 29—PRINCETON — Local career and technical students attending the Mercer County Technical Educational Center were recognized for excellence at the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships held in Atlanta on June 21-22.
More than 6,000 students competed at the national showcase of career and technical education. The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world and covers 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres.
Skill Point Certificates were awarded to all national contestants who met a threshold contest score. The Skill Point Certificate represents workplace readiness in the occupational specialty and students can add the certificate to their employment portfolio as an indicator of proficiency.
The following students from the Mercer County Technical Education Center are Skill Point Certificate recipients:
—Sierra Hudgins of Bluefield was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Esthetics.
—Team C, consisting of students Erika Colley, Alyssa Sizemore, Malik Robinson and Hannah Browning, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Entrepreneurship.
—Emma Furches of Princeton was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Early Childhood Education.
—Jordan Patton of Princeton was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Medical Math.
Students were invited to the event to demonstrate their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in 110 hands-on competitions including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. Industry leaders from 650 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. More than 1,200 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year. All SkillsUSA Championships competitors were honored on Friday night, June 23 at the SkillsUSA Awards Session at State Farm Arena.
"More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation participated in the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships," said SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis. "This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates SkillsUSA at its finest. Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels. This program expands learning and career opportunities for our members."
The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference. The national, nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry is a verified talent pipeline for America's skilled workforce that is working to help solve the skills gap.
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
