National T-Shirt and Pin Design Winners Revealed
Congratulations to the talented winners of this year’s National Conference Pin and T-shirt Design Challenge! The T-shirt design winner is Allison Rowell (advisor: Carol King Bolden) from Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Silver Spring, Md. The pin design winner is John Peterson (advisor: Trisha Marlow) from Moore Norman Technology Center in Norman, Okla. View the winning designs here.
Apply for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence
Applications are now open for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. The prize recognizes outstanding instruction in the skilled trades in U.S. public high schools and the teachers who inspire students to learn skills to prepare for life after graduation. In 2022, they will award more than $1.25 million in prizes to 20 teachers. In 2021, the prize recognized six SkillsUSA instructors as winners. Applications must be received by May 20. Finalists will be announced on June 27 and winners will be announced in October. Learn more and apply online here.
President’s Volunteer Service Award Applications due April 7
The application deadline for the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) has been extended, and all entries must be postmarked by April 7. (Entries postmarked after April 7 will not be considered.) All applications must be mailed, and no email entries can be accepted. For information on the PVSA and how to apply, visit the PVSA page on our website. If you have questions, contact Megan Flinn at 703-737-0622 or by email at mflinn@skillsusa.org.
Help Us Thank Carhartt and TSC for Supporting the Trades
At a time when the skilled trades need more champions, Carhartt and Tractor Supply Company (TSC) recently stepped up with a $100,000 donation to SkillsUSA through their Support the Trades campaign! Now’s the time for SkillsUSA Nation to say thank you. We need short thank-you videos from SkillsUSA teachers or students. A video submission earns you a spot in a drawing for one of two $50 Amazon gift cards. Click here for full details and let’s show our partners how much we value their support!
Registration Open for Connect to My Future
Registration is now open for this year’s SkillsUSA Connect to My Future Career Conference on May 3-4. This unique virtual conference allows students to explore career pathways while connecting directly with employers right from their classrooms. Three student tracks are offered for members in middle school, high school and college/postsecondary programs. Check out all three tracks here. We encourage you to share this video with your classes to get students excited. Registration is open until April 15.
National Signing Day Celebrates Students and CTE
Registration is open for SkillsUSA National Signing Day on May 5, celebrating high school seniors and college/postsecondary students who are pursuing careers as professionals in the skilled trades. SkillsUSA chapters are encouraged to host a signing day event and invite business partners, school administrators, teachers, elected officials, SkillsUSA alumni, family and friends to honor students as they sign “letters of intent” for a job offer, apprenticeship or advanced technical training.
This digital toolkit of resources will help chapters plan their local events. The toolkit includes an event logo, an invitation template, social media posts, press release, thank-you notes, an event planning checklist and more. Registration is open until April 15.
National Week of Service is May 8-14
SkillsUSA asks all chapters to conduct and promote a community service project during the National Week of Service, May 8-14. This helps commemorate the founding of SkillsUSA on May 8, 1965. Connect with SkillsUSA on social media and share photos of your activities. Chapter advisors or officers should email a brief description of their chapter events to Gayle Silvey at gsilvey@skillsusa.org. In return, we’ll send a SkillsUSA logo gift item valued at $15 to say thanks.
To publicize your events locally, you can locate media contact information for your area newspapers on our SkillsUSA Advocacy Site. Once on the site, click on Media, enter your ZIP code and then choose up to six news outlets at a time. Then click on “Send a Message.” To see the full contact information for each outlet, click on the name of the newspaper.
Love and Logic: Preventing Power Struggles in Your Classroom
Join us on April 5 from 3:30-5 p.m. ET for a Love and Logic session designed to help you learn how to use choices to prevent power struggles in your classroom. The cost to attend is $10. Register here. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.
New Best Practices Professional Development Opportunities
Please join your fellow advisors on April 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET for our new best practices series, where seasoned SkillsUSA advisors lead panels focusing on one topic. This session will focus on how to coach students for success in competitions. Register for this and more professional membership benefits 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 Cloud Technologies 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 April 29, from 4-5 p.m. ET, the presenter is instructor and textbook author Jill West. Her session will focus on preparing students to work in the cloud as you bring the cloud into the classroom. You’ll also practice building servers in Amazon Web Services. This session is appropriate for all experience levels and the cost to attend is $10. Register here.
SkillsUSA Store Featured Product
April showers bring May flowers and this month the store features a spring staple. Our 42” Auto Open Folding Umbrella has a manual opening mechanism with a matching case and wrist strap and folds to 9” long to easily throw in a bag or backpack. Get this useful item for yourself or a supporter!
Press Release Template for State Conference Participants
The SkillsUSA advocacy site offers a press release template for state conference participants and their supporters to share competition results with local media. Parents, instructors, students or anyone can send emails using the customizable template. For questions, email Jane Short.
CTE Knowledge and Framework Certifications Available as a Bundle
SkillsUSA has a CTE Knowledge Certification course for advisors to learn how SkillsUSA and career and technical education (CTE) are solutions to the skills gap. Advisors will learn to define the skills gap and identify how it relates to CTE; describe the history of SkillsUSA and how CTE evolved into its current structure; articulate the benefits of CTE on a personal and systemic level; and identify the opportunities to share their knowledge about CTE, the skills gap and SkillsUSA.
SkillsUSA also has a SkillsUSA Framework Certification course for students to learn about SkillsUSA and the SkillsUSA Framework. Students will learn how to articulate the meaning of SkillsUSA’s mission and vision statements; explain the Framework through a brief Framework story; and describe the six categories of the SkillsUSA Program of Work and select appropriate activities to align with it.
Both certifications are available as a bundle for $10.95 per user and can be purchased through Absorb, SkillsUSA’s Learning Management System. Login and navigate to the Catalog and Shopping Cart tile to place your order. If you don’t have an account in Absorb, contact a Customer Care Team member at customercare@skillsusa.org or call toll-free 844-875-4557. They can help you create your account and place your order.
Bring Your Musical Talent to NLSC
A new SkillsUSA Talent Program is being launched in conjunction with SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference. Selected members will showcase their musical ability during one of three high-energy arena sessions in front of more than 12,000 SkillsUSA participants from across the country. They may also perform for smaller audiences during the conference.
Students or advisors will receive complimentary conference registration if their sole purpose of attendance is to participate in the Talent Program. SkillsUSA Championships contestants are eligible, but performance opportunities may be limited due to scheduling conflicts. Applicants must be current paid SkillsUSA members and must submit a video file performing a song of choice that demonstrates their musical ability. Individual or group performances are welcome. Apply here by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, April 22. For questions, contact Joey Baker.
Apply for Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Travel Scholarships
SkillsUSA and Harbor Freight Tools for Schools are offering a new travel scholarship opportunity for SkillsUSA high school members in selected trades who are competing in the 2022 SkillsUSA Championships. Eligible members can apply to receive up to $1,500 to assist in attending the 2022 National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC). Applications will be accepted through May 20. Recipients will be announced on May 25. More information and the application are available here.
New SkillsUSA Scholarships Open for Applications
Several scholarships are open to benefit SkillsUSA students in pursuit of further education or certification in their chosen fields. Help spread the word about these opportunities:
Sharon Melton Myers Memorial Scholarship — Offers two SkillsUSA high school seniors a one-time $1,000 scholarship. Deadline: April 15.
Fine Homebuilding #KeepCraftAlive Scholarship — Scholarships to SkillsUSA high school or college/postsecondary students continuing their education or certification programs in construction-related fields. Deadline: May 30.
Larry Rash Memorial Scholarship — Two $2,500 scholarships in 2022 to support active SkillsUSA members who plan to further their education in architectural drafting (or a related field). Deadline: May 31.
Bob Westphal Memorial Scholarship — Merit-based scholarships to high school or college/postsecondary students continuing their education to pursue a career in energy construction (oil and gas pipelines, gas distribution, solar, and wind). Deadline: May 31.
Clifford T. Rees, Jr. Memorial Scholarship — Multiple $2,500 scholarships to SkillsUSA high school juniors, seniors or college/postsecondary students in enrolled in a HVACR or a general construction program and who will be pursuing college/postsecondary career training in the HVACR industry. Deadline: May 31.
Student Research Foundation Scholarship — One scholarship to a SkillsUSA member currently enrolled in high school who plans to continue their education in a postsecondary program. It recognizes outstanding community contribution. Deadline: July 26.
Applications and more scholarship information are available here.
Horatio Alger Offers Scholarships for College/Postsecondary Students
The Horatio Alger Association is offering 500 career and technical education scholarships of up to $2,500 each for students who have overcome obstacles in their lives and who wish to pursue a career and technical education at an accredited, nonprofit college/postsecondary institution. Applications are now open through June 15. Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis throughout the spring and summer. Visit their website for full information and to apply.