SkillsUSA Championship winners announced
SkillsUSA Champs Offer Glimpse Into Woodworking Industry's Future

SkillsUSA, a partnership of students, teachers and industry promoting a skilled workforce, announced winners from its SkillsUSA Championship, held June 22-23 during the 47th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, MO. The SkillsUSA Championship is a national competition featuring high school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in technical programs. More than 14,000 people attended, with more than 5,500 student participants. Click here to get a listing of the 2011 SkillsUSA Championship woodworking skills winners.

Seventeen students from these high school and college technical programs, representing 17 skill categories, have been selected to be a part of the SkillsUSA WorldTeam competing in the international WorldSkills Qualifying Trial in London this October. Many WoodLinksUSA schools also participated in the local, district and national trials.

“This new America 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.”

Also, a WorldSkills Cabinetmaking Qualifying Trial will take place for the first time during the 2009 AWFS Vegas Fair. Two students will compete all three days of the show, building projects that showcase their skills in cabinet construction and woodworking skills. The winner will be awarded a UNISAW donated by DELTA and then move on to represent the U.S. at the 2013 International WorldSkills Competition in Germany.

“The concept of hosting the Worldskills Cabinetmaking Qualifying Trial at AWFS Fair is perfectly aligned with our organizational vision and mission,” said Ada Kranenberg, SkillsUSA World Team Official Delegate. “We promote skilled trade careers for students and this event will give the students the opportunity to learn more about woodworking. It will also allow the woodworking industry to see first-hand how hardworking, dedicated and well-trained SkillsUSA students are.”

SkillsUSA programs, designed to promote job skill training in high school, college and post-secondary settings, are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for its work with students. The organization also is partnering with Air Products, a global manufacturer, as part of a recently announced expansion of Skills for America’s Future to allow students to earn credentials that are portable and recognized by manufacturing firms nationwide under the Manufacturing Skills Certification System. Launched last year by the Obama administration, the Skills for America's Future initiative is designed to establish a partnership between industries and community colleges to train workers for the highly skilled positions required by manufacturers.






SkillsUSA Championship winners announced
Photo courtesy of SkillsUSA.

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