LEESBURG, VA. – SkillsUSA, the organization that represents the United States in
the WorldSkills Competition, will send 17 high school and college students to London,
England, in October 2011 to compete in the 41st international event. The students will test
their skills against 1,000 students representing 55 countries from around the world competing
in 43 official competitions and three demonstration contests.
The competitors representing 17 skill categories are to be the official U.S. representatives at
the international competition, where 5,000 international experts, delegates and judges will
gather. Three thousand volunteers will be recruited to assist with the event and 150,000
student and public spectators will attend the competition at ExCeL London.
“This new American team will represent our country on the world stage as members of
SkillsUSA’s WorldTeam,” said Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA. “They and their colleagues from other countries are the future of our shared, global skilled workforce. Having a skilled workforce is a must if we want to move forward in the United States and globally.”
As the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) stated in their
book Learning for Jobs, “Increasingly, countries are recognizing that good initial vocational
education and training has a major contribution to make to economic competitiveness.”
Simon Field from OECD recently said, “the wealth of nations will come to rely more on the
skills of their people than on other sources such as natural resources.”
The WorldTeam competitors earned the right to be members of WorldTeam by winning local,
district and national contests under the SkillsUSA program. Competitors must be under the
age of 23.
Chosen to compete in the WorldSkills International Competition to date are the following
students:
• Autobody Repair – Cameron McCreery, Morgan Community College, Sterling, Colo.
• Automobile Technology – Daniel Lehmkuhl, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Beauty Therapy – Raychel Bland, Lurleen Wallace Community College, Dothan, Ala.
• Bricklaying – Bradley Wright, Wallace Community College, Heneger, Ala.
• Cabinetmaking – Brett Ottinger, Stevens College of Technology, Lehighton, Pa.
• Cooking – Rachel Koppelman, Columbia Area Career Center, Columbia, Mo.
• CNC Milling – Joseph King, Calhoun Community College, Athens, Ala.
• CNC Turning – Maxwell Hershey, William D Ford Career Technical Center, Wayne,
Mich.
• Graphic Design – Victoria Brown, Del Sol High School, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Ladies’/Men’s Hairdressing – Laina Call, Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College,
Ogden, Utah
• IT Network Systems Administration – Matthew Vicari, South Tech Education Center, W
Palm Beach, Fla.
• Offset Printing – Benjamin Phillips C.S. Monroe Technology Center 10708 Sugar
Meadow Dr. Great Falls VA
• Plumbing and Heating – Ryan Spinden, Hodgson Vo-Tech, Newark, Del.
• Refrigeration and Air Conditioning – John Huhn, Paul M. Hodgson Vo-Tech, Bear,
Del.
• Restaurant Service – Melissa Rubincan, Delcastle Technical High School, Wilmington,
Del.
• Web Design – Brett Patterson, Tennessee Tech Center at Harriman, Lansing, Tenn.
In addition, SkillsUSA will choose a welding competitor.
To date, the following sponsors have generously provided financial and/or in-kind support to
SkillsUSA WorldTeam: 3M, Advanced Tech Center (Va.), Air Products, American Welding
Society, Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Bay Path RVTHS (Mass.), Brick Industry Assn.-
SE Region, Center of Applied Tech. North (Md.), Chrysler, LLC, Cisco Systems Inc., Cuesta
College (Calif.), Culinary Institute of America, DRS Marlo Coil, Ferris State University (Mich.),
E & E Manufacturing, General Motors Corp., Heritage College (Mo.), Hodgson Vo-Tech
(Del.), Hunter Engineering, Lincoln Electric Co., Lowe’s, Miller Electric Mfg., National Auto
Service Technical Committee, National Welding Technical Committee, Navajo Tech College
(N.M.), Optima Worldwide, Pivot Point International, Pittsburg State University (Kan.),
Professional Tech Ed Center (Idaho), Raytheon, Romeo Engineering and Tech (Mich.), Snap-
on Tools Inc., Stanley Community College (N.C.), Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., United
Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, Warren
Occ. Tech Center (Colo.) and William D. Ford Career Technical Center (Mich.).
SkillsUSA is a national organization of students, teachers and industry, working together to
ensure America has a skilled work force. SkillsUSA helps high school and college students
enrolled in career and technical education programs to excel by teaching employability skills
such as communication, problem solving and leadership in conjunction with their trade,
technical and service occupations skills. The association’s annual membership exceeds
300,000 students and instructors in more than 4,000 schools and colleges in every state, three
territories and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.
the WorldSkills Competition, will send 17 high school and college students to London,
England, in October 2011 to compete in the 41st international event. The students will test
their skills against 1,000 students representing 55 countries from around the world competing
in 43 official competitions and three demonstration contests.
The competitors representing 17 skill categories are to be the official U.S. representatives at
the international competition, where 5,000 international experts, delegates and judges will
gather. Three thousand volunteers will be recruited to assist with the event and 150,000
student and public spectators will attend the competition at ExCeL London.
“This new American team will represent our country on the world stage as members of
SkillsUSA’s WorldTeam,” said Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA. “They and their colleagues from other countries are the future of our shared, global skilled workforce. Having a skilled workforce is a must if we want to move forward in the United States and globally.”
As the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) stated in their
book Learning for Jobs, “Increasingly, countries are recognizing that good initial vocational
education and training has a major contribution to make to economic competitiveness.”
Simon Field from OECD recently said, “the wealth of nations will come to rely more on the
skills of their people than on other sources such as natural resources.”
The WorldTeam competitors earned the right to be members of WorldTeam by winning local,
district and national contests under the SkillsUSA program. Competitors must be under the
age of 23.
Chosen to compete in the WorldSkills International Competition to date are the following
students:
• Autobody Repair – Cameron McCreery, Morgan Community College, Sterling, Colo.
• Automobile Technology – Daniel Lehmkuhl, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Beauty Therapy – Raychel Bland, Lurleen Wallace Community College, Dothan, Ala.
• Bricklaying – Bradley Wright, Wallace Community College, Heneger, Ala.
• Cabinetmaking – Brett Ottinger, Stevens College of Technology, Lehighton, Pa.
• Cooking – Rachel Koppelman, Columbia Area Career Center, Columbia, Mo.
• CNC Milling – Joseph King, Calhoun Community College, Athens, Ala.
• CNC Turning – Maxwell Hershey, William D Ford Career Technical Center, Wayne,
Mich.
• Graphic Design – Victoria Brown, Del Sol High School, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Ladies’/Men’s Hairdressing – Laina Call, Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College,
Ogden, Utah
• IT Network Systems Administration – Matthew Vicari, South Tech Education Center, W
Palm Beach, Fla.
• Offset Printing – Benjamin Phillips C.S. Monroe Technology Center 10708 Sugar
Meadow Dr. Great Falls VA
• Plumbing and Heating – Ryan Spinden, Hodgson Vo-Tech, Newark, Del.
• Refrigeration and Air Conditioning – John Huhn, Paul M. Hodgson Vo-Tech, Bear,
Del.
• Restaurant Service – Melissa Rubincan, Delcastle Technical High School, Wilmington,
Del.
• Web Design – Brett Patterson, Tennessee Tech Center at Harriman, Lansing, Tenn.
In addition, SkillsUSA will choose a welding competitor.
To date, the following sponsors have generously provided financial and/or in-kind support to
SkillsUSA WorldTeam: 3M, Advanced Tech Center (Va.), Air Products, American Welding
Society, Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Bay Path RVTHS (Mass.), Brick Industry Assn.-
SE Region, Center of Applied Tech. North (Md.), Chrysler, LLC, Cisco Systems Inc., Cuesta
College (Calif.), Culinary Institute of America, DRS Marlo Coil, Ferris State University (Mich.),
E & E Manufacturing, General Motors Corp., Heritage College (Mo.), Hodgson Vo-Tech
(Del.), Hunter Engineering, Lincoln Electric Co., Lowe’s, Miller Electric Mfg., National Auto
Service Technical Committee, National Welding Technical Committee, Navajo Tech College
(N.M.), Optima Worldwide, Pivot Point International, Pittsburg State University (Kan.),
Professional Tech Ed Center (Idaho), Raytheon, Romeo Engineering and Tech (Mich.), Snap-
on Tools Inc., Stanley Community College (N.C.), Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., United
Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, Warren
Occ. Tech Center (Colo.) and William D. Ford Career Technical Center (Mich.).
SkillsUSA is a national organization of students, teachers and industry, working together to
ensure America has a skilled work force. SkillsUSA helps high school and college students
enrolled in career and technical education programs to excel by teaching employability skills
such as communication, problem solving and leadership in conjunction with their trade,
technical and service occupations skills. The association’s annual membership exceeds
300,000 students and instructors in more than 4,000 schools and colleges in every state, three
territories and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.
SOURCE: SkillsUSA
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