FF Jan 21 | skillsusa-pa

SkillsUSA Friday Flash

1/21/22

Ready for SkillsUSA Week?

SkillsUSA Week is Feb. 7-11, 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 all week by planning activities that follow the daily schedule of events for local chapters nationwide.

Monday, Feb. 7, Recognition Day. Recognize and honor members, advisors, administrators, business partners, community leaders and supporters who make a meaningful impact on your CTE program and SkillsUSA chapter.
Tuesday, Feb. 8, Give Back Day. Rally around your school community by focusing on ways for your chapter to give back.
Wednesday, Feb. 9, Partner Day. Invite local business and industry leaders to connect with members, highlighting the importance of developing career-readiness skills found in the SkillsUSA Framework.
Thursday, Feb. 10, Advocacy Day. Amplify CTE in your community by conducting a local public relations activity, such as presenting to school board members, administrators and community leaders.
Friday, Feb. 11, SkillsUSA Day. Celebrate SkillsUSA by wearing your favorite SkillsUSA T-shirt, planning a celebration activity or posting your SkillsUSA Framework story on social media using the hashtag: #SkillsUSAWeek.

The SkillsUSA Week Chapter Guide assists chapters in planning for each day of SkillsUSA Week.

2022 SkillsUSA Week T-shirt and More at the SkillsUSA Store

There’s still time to gear up for SkillsUSA Week! Head to the SkillsUSA Store to shop the SkillsUSA Week collection for the SkillsUSA T-shirt and other great spirit items, such as SkillsUSA socks, buttons, bracelets and more.

Accessing the 2022 SkillsUSA Championships Technical Standards

The 2022 National Leadership and Skills Conference takes place in Atlanta on June 20-24, and the SkillsUSA Championships Technical Standards will help your students prepare for their competitions. To access the Technical Standards, navigate to SkillsUSA Absorb, log in using your professional membership credentials, click on the green box that says, “Professional Member Benefits,” and then on the “2021-2022 Professional Member Benefits Package.” This gives you access to the Technical Standards which are broken into the Introduction Materials; Leadership Development Career Competitions; Occupationally Related Career Competitions and the Skilled and Technical Sciences Career Competitions.

If you have trouble accessing the Technical Standards, call the SkillsUSA Customer Care Team toll free at 844-875-4557. Phones are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Tuesday and Thursday. You can also email the team at customercare@skillsusa.org.

Success Story: “Earning Her Future By Serving Her Country”

The daughter of Colombian immigrants, Lizetthe Moreno understood the value of hard work at an early age thanks to her parents’ example. Driven by a desire to give back to the country that offered her family a brighter future, this SkillsUSA alum and soon-to-be-Marine has become a positive example all her own. Read her inspiring story here on the SkillsUSA Champions digital hub. Have a story or news item you think we should feature on the site? Fill out this “Share News and Stories” form to send us your ideas and leads. You’ll also find a link to this form at the top of every page on the SkillsUSA Champions digital hub.

Free Access to National Officer Candidate Resources Ends Feb. 1

Becoming a SkillsUSA national officer is the ultimate personal growth and student leadership experience, and the 2022-23 National Officer Program Guide and application are now available. Before filling out that application, carefully review the guide, which contains a wealth of information on the certifications and Career Essentials coursework required of all candidates. SkillsUSA provides no-cost access to these certifications to national officer candidates, but you must apply for those by Feb. 1. See the guide for more details. All national officer applications must be submitted by June 1 at 6 p.m. ET.

Nominations for Honorary Life and Outstanding Career and Technical Educators

SkillsUSA is seeking additional nominations for SkillsUSA Honorary Life Member and Outstanding Career and Technical Educator awards. If you would like to nominate an individual for recognition at our national conference in June, please complete the online applications here. The deadline is Feb. 15. For questions, contact Laura Rauch.

The national SkillsUSA membership deadline is March 1. Student members must meet both state and national deadlines to be eligible to participate in national competitions; serve as voting delegates; run for national office; participate in national programming; or apply for scholarships, awards and honors. As a benefit, professional members receive online access to a host of powerful resources. Learn how to access your professional membership benefits in this Google doc.

Professional Development Opportunities for January

Please join your fellow advisors for our January SkillsUSA Professional Development sessions. Topics include “Career Essentials Certification Training,” “Career Essentials Booster Session” and “Guides for SkillsUSA Championship Coaching.” See the training calendar here. Completion certificates are provided for each session. 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.

Facilitating Effective Learning Expertise on “SkillsUSA Technical Fridays”

Join us for “SkillsUSA Technical Fridays,” SkillsUSA’s industry-led workshops that help teachers develop specific technical skills relevant to their career fields. On Jan. 28 from 4-5 p.m. ET, the presenter is Corine Tripplet, a cosmetologist who has consistently championed the creative and work skills of hundreds of students throughout her three-decade instructional career. Tripplet’s session will focus on how to use different strategies in presenting challenging material to facilitate effective learning. She will also demonstrate a basic facial while discussing the anatomy of the facial muscles. Professional development certificates are available for attending. The cost to attend the session is $10. Register here.

Share Your Unique Knowledge and Skills During SkillsUSA University

SkillsUSA is seeking presenters for the 2022 SkillsUSA University. Are you an expert in your career cluster? Do you have a skill you would like to share with teachers and students attending the 2022 National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta? Sessions will take place on June 21, 22 and 23. Submit the request for presentation proposal here by Feb. 27. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.

Focus Students on Safety

CareerSafe’s annual National Youth Safety Video Contest challenges students to create a two-minute video demonstrating workplace safety. Send submissions to CareerSafe by March 1. 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.

Take Up the Challenge! National Conference Pin and T-shirt Design

SkillsUSA is once again offering the 2022 National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) Pin and T-shirt Design Challenge for all dues-paying student members. The winning designs will become the official T-shirt and pin design for the 2022 NLSC. The challenge opens Jan. 15, entries must be received by March 15 at 12 a.m. ET, and the winners will be announced on March 21. Rules and submission links can be found on the SkillsUSA website.

Engage Your Chapter in SkillsUSA’s 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. Learn more about the program, as well as how your chapter can gain national recognition by participating, on our website.

Earn Presidential Recognition for Service

At the 2022 National Leadership and Skills 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 for recognition at the 2022 national conference.

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.
The new Fieldpiece #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.
SkillsUSA in partnership with the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) will award four $1,000 scholarships to SkillsUSA members who are also members of NTHS. The deadline for applications is March 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The Sharon Melton Myers Memorial Fund, SkillsUSA and the McMinn County Vocational Center SkillsUSA Alumni Association are offering two high school seniors who are members of SkillsUSA a one-time $1,000 scholarship. The deadline for applications is April 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
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.

Additional information and the applications for these scholarships are available here.