ALEXANDRIA, LA - More than 200 regional medalists from across the Louisiana Community and Technical System will compete in various work skill categories in the 2022 SkillsUSA State competition at the Downtown Alexandria campus March 28 - April 1 for the chance to advance and compete in the national competition.
“The Louisiana Post-Secondary SkillsUSA state competition is the culmination of the hard work of our system and our 12 colleges. It also signifies our state’s commitment to career and technical education,” said Dr. Damian Glover, State Director for SkillsUSA Louisiana. “This week we will be providing avenues and opportunities for our students to demonstrate skills and knowledge in some of the highest wage and demand areas within the country. We are excited to welcome our participants and observers as we host our first in-person conference in more than two years.”
An estimated 233 contestants will compete in 38 contests virtually and in-person demonstrating their skills in career areas including manufacturing, transportation, construction, hospitality and human services.
Ramona Guin, CLTCC Health Occupations Coordinator and SkillsUSA advisor, explained SkillsUSA is a student organization for career and technical students to learn and develop personal, workplace, and technical skills related to their chosen profession. “As the chapter advisor, I have had the opportunity to watch the growth of our students and faculty in all aspects of SkillsUSA,” she said. “This year at regionals, our students competed in activities related to leadership and skills-related competitions. We are proud to host this year’s 2022 Louisiana SkillsUSA competition this week here on our campus.”
Competitions will also occur at Bossier Parish Community College, SOWELA Technical Community College, and Northshore Technical Community College.
Louisiana gold medalists are eligible to advance to the national competition at the National Leadership and Skills Conference, scheduled for June 20-24 in Atlanta, Georgia. Last year, CLTCC had a record four gold medalists at the 2021SkillsUSA National Competition.
CLTCC Chancellor Jimmy Sawtelle noted that the opening ceremonies, the skills competitions, and the closing ceremonies, are free and open to the public. “We would love to have people from the community join us in cheering on these students,” he said. “They work so hard all year long, and we would love for people to see how proficient and highly skilled these students are. It is amazing to see.”
The official conference program can be found online at skillsusalouisiana.org.
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 360,000-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 by developing the SkillsUSA Framework of 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: www.SkillsUSA.org.
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