SkillsUSA Friday Flash
December 17, 2021
The “SkillsUSA Friday Flash” will be on a holiday hiatus for the next two weeks.
The next edition will be made available on Jan. 7. Have a wonderful holiday break!
Grants Available for SkillsUSA Week
SkillsUSA Week is Feb. 7-11, 2022, and you can participate in many ways: Honor your community supporters, connect with local business and industry professionals, or make a presentation about your CTE program and SkillsUSA chapter at a school board meeting. We encourage you to celebrate by planning activities that follow the daily schedule of events using the SkillsUSA Week Chapter Guide. SkillsUSA is offering chapter grants of $200 to purchase supplies for your SkillsUSA Week activities. Grant requests must be submitted by Jan. 1, 2022. Chapter grants will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and only 10 are available. The chapter grant application is here.
Free Educational Resources and Career Essentials Opportunity
SkillsUSA has partnered with Aerotek and The Swinerton Foundation to deliver 37 grants for high school and college/postsecondary chapters to receive grants for SkillsUSA Educational Resources and Career Essentials access. Eligible chapters can receive a $3,000 or $4,500 grant, which will provide SkillsUSA Educational Resources that focus on integration of the SkillsUSA Framework in the classroom and chapter. Applications for a chapter grant must be submitted by Jan. 21, 2022 and recipients will be notified by Feb 11, 2022. Determine eligibility and apply here. For questions, contact Brandon Monk.
Proposed Bylaw Amendment Submissions
Registered SkillsUSA members can submit proposed bylaw amendments for middle school, high school or college/postsecondary divisions. Bylaw amendment motions must be submitted, in writing, to Tyler Chaffin by Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at 5 p.m. ET. SkillsUSA’s National Executive Council and board of directors will review all submissions during the March 2021 board meeting. All motions will be distributed to state SkillsUSA directors by April 22. Motions will then be presented for vote at the official business meeting of the House of Delegates during the 2022 national conference. Bylaw amendments are governed by Article XII of the high school and college/postsecondary bylaws and Article X of the middle school bylaws. For more information and to view the bylaws, go here. The motion form is located here and on the website. For questions, contact Tyler Chaffin.
National Officer Candidates Sought
The 2022-23 National Officer Program Guide and application are now live on the website. All applications must be submitted by June 1, 2022 at 6 p.m. ET. Potential national officer candidates must have the following before applying: Verification of SkillsUSA Framework Certification completing the e-course and all associated work and passing the assessment with a minimum score of 80%; verification of the CTE Knowledge Certification, completing the e-course and all associated work and passing the assessment with a minimum score of 80%; and verification of completion and passing of the first three units of either the Advanced or Adult Learner Course of the SkillsUSA Career Essentials program, including all work and unit tests with a minimum score of 80%. Note: If the Career Essentials credential is not earned prior to election, national officers will be required to earn it during their year of service. Access to certifications and the Career Essentials is offered at no cost with a deadline for apply by Feb. 1, 2022. Further details are available in the program guide.
AmazonSmile Purchases Benefit SkillsUSA
Support SkillsUSA as your charity of choice while shopping through Amazon this holiday season. To order your purchases through AmazonSmile, search for “SkillsUSA Inc.” or visit this link. AmazonSmile donates a percentage of all purchases made through this link directly to SkillsUSA.
Professional Development Opportunities for January to June
Please join your fellow advisors for our SkillsUSA Professional Development offerings from January through June. Learn more by visiting the online training calendar in the “downloads” section. Completion certificates are provided for each session. A schedule Use this Google Doc to learn how to access your professional membership benefits online. A PDF of the 2021-22 Professional Development Opportunities is available here. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.
SkillsUSA Week Shirts Coming Soon
Your chance to get your official 2022 SkillsUSA Week Shirt (including a new long sleeve option) is coming soon! Pre-orders of the shirt begin in January! Keep an eye out on The SkillsUSA Official Store Instagram and the Friday Flash for the announcement that the shirts have gone live on the The Store!
Focus Students on Safety
CareerSafe’s annual National Youth Safety Video Contest challenges students to create a two-minute video demonstrating workplace safety. All submissions should be sent to CareerSafe by March 1, 2022. The winning students will receive a SkillsUSA prize pack and a scholarship of up to $2,500, and the winning school will receive a prize of up to $5,000. For more information and to submit your entry, visit the CareerSafe website here.
SkillsUSA Scholarships Now Open for Applications
Applications for several scholarships are now open to benefit SkillsUSA students in pursuit of higher education or certification in their chosen fields. Help spread the word about these opportunities:
• The Marsha Daves Memorial Scholarship is open to current SkillsUSA state officers who are high school seniors or college/postsecondary students with another year of school. The deadline for applications is Feb. 1, 2022.
• The new #MasteroftheTrade Scholarship is open to SkillsUSA members enrolled in HVACR or general construction programs who plan to study HVACR at the college/postsecondary level in the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school year. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2022.
• The Student Research Foundation Scholarship is open to SkillsUSA members who are currently enrolled in high school and plan to continue their education in a postsecondary institution or program. It recognizes outstanding community contributions. The deadline for applications is July 26, 2022.
Additional information and the applications for these scholarships are available here.
Engage Your Chapter in SkillsUSA’s Refreshed Student2Student Program
SkillsUSA has launched a refreshed Student2Student program for the 2021-22 school year. The program connects chapters with younger students in elementary or middle school to facilitate SkillsUSA’s “Jump into STEM!” curriculum at their school. Student2Student entries must be submitted by April 1, 2022. Learn more about Student2Student here.
Earn Presidential Recognition for Service to Others
At the 2022 national conference, SkillsUSA will recognize advisors, students and registered alumni for their community service and volunteer activities through the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). To qualify, SkillsUSA members, advisors or alumni can submit a record of their service hours to SkillsUSA, which is a certifying organization. This presidential honor recognizes the valuable contributions of volunteers who are answering a national call to serve others through their current activities or lifetime efforts. Details on qualifying hours and requirements for submission are available here. Applications must be received by April 1, 2022 for recognition at the 2022 National Leadership and Skills Conference.