Lessons Learned from SkillsUSA

by Stephen V. Houston

Another June has come and gone, and with it, another SkillsUSA national competition. Congratulations to all those secondary and post-secondary state champions that competed, and hats off to all of you instructors who made the trek to Kansas City.

I feel fortunate to serve on the technical committee for the welding competition for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it would be hard to find a group of people who are as committed, and who work so well together, as my fellow committee members. You should know that we all volunteer a week of our time to set up and run the welding competition, and many of the instructors on the committee pay their own way.

Another reason that I'm fortunate to serve on the committee is that the welding competition provides a real insight into the state of welding education in America.

The Competition in a Nutshell

If you've never participated in the SkillsUSA nationals, here's how the competition works.

Sunday & Monday

The technical committee gathers at noon on the Sunday before the competition to set up the 32-booth competition area, complete with exhaust system, 8-station oxy-fuel cutting area, visual inspection workstation, judging area and scoring tables. On Monday, we test the power sources and put the finishing touches on the competition area.

Tuesday

Contestants and their instructors receive an orientation, which includes a detailed description of the competition; where and when contestants should report; how they will be escorted to the competition area; the dress code for the contest; and how they'll be judged.

Following the orientation, competitors take a 50-question written test covering welding and cutting processes, including safety and general knowledge.

After the written test, contestants are required to make an oral presentation (1-minute maximum) to a panel of judges. The theme is usually "how welding training will impact my future."

The written test and oral presentation are graded, and contribute to the contestant's total score.

Wednesday

This year, contestants were given 30-minutes to fit up a simple aluminum weldment and weld it using the GTAW process. They were also given 30-minutes to tack up and weld a set of pre-cut carbon steel plates from a supplied drawing using GMAW. Contestants were also given a tacking drawing and required to tack up the carbon steel workpiece for Thursday's competition.

The aluminum project counted toward their final score. The MIG project was graded, but it did not count toward the final score.

Thursday

Contestants used the GMAW and SMAW processes to weld the workpiece that they prepared on Wednesday.  They were also required to do a oxy-fuel cutting exercise.

Friday

Friday morning is devoted to a critique (debriefing) for contestants and their instructors, followed by a workshop. This year, the workshop was on inverter technology.

A Few Bumps in the Road to Success

Many students were well prepared for the competition, but others struggled from the outset. Here are some observations:

1. Some contestants were totally unprepared for the personal interview. They were inappropriately dressed and poorly groomed. Several hid under ball caps and avoided eye contact with the panel of judges.
2. Some contestants had never welded aluminum with GTAW.
3. Some contestants were unable to read the print for the GMAW project. After 30-minutes, they returned the set of plates they were given without making as much as a tack weld. Other contestants were very creative in their interpretation of the drawing.
4. Some contestants thought they could build the workpiece weld-by-weld without tacking it together first. While others were confused about welding position.
5. Some participants didn't read the instructions included on the print. Consequently, they spent 10-minutes or more tuning in their power source, when the parameters were included on the drawing.

Lessons Learned for Future Competitions

SkillsUSA competitions provide an excellent incentive for students to refine their skills and they help students to develop a sense of pride and accomplishment in their work. But they can also be a source of embarrassment, disappointment and defeat if students are not prepared for what they might encounter. 

Clearly, many of the state champions rose to the occasion, and did very well under the pressures of competition. But equally obvious, some contestants did not have the skills necessary to succeed at the national level. So, what can you do to change the situation? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Make sure that your regional and state SkillsUSA contests mirror the national as closely as possible. Include a personal interview to give contestants a chance to develop their communication skills and to get comfortable presenting in front of others.
   If you base your regional and state competitions on the workmanship qualification tests for the AWS Entry-Level S.E.N.S.E. program, your chances of producing a national champion will be greatly improved. (You can find the drawings at the back of EG2.0 or QC10.)
2. If possible, include aluminum welding with GTAW, and carbon steel with SMAW and GMAW in your regional and state competitions. (You know that these processes will be included in the national contest, so you why not have your students hone their competitive edge at the regional and state levels?)
3. Make sure students can convert a 2-dimensional drawing into a 3-dimensional object. Integrate print reading into your skill training. Give them the drawings from the Entry-Level S.E.N.S.E. program, or from previous SkillsUSA competitions, along with a pair of scissors, some tape and a supply of cardboard. Have them practice their print reading skills by turning the drawings into cardboard models.
4. If your student makes it to the nationals, make sure they're dressed appropriately for the interview—No ball cap. A fresh hair cut. Neat appearance. No gum. No hands in pockets. The best approach is to have them wear their SkillsUSA uniform (red blazer or clean competition uniform). Have them rehearse a couple of times, coach them about making eye contact with everyone on the panel, and make sure they get their message across in one minute or less.
5. When they make it to the nationals, and they get into the booth on the competition floor, before they do anything, tell them to take a few minutes to read the instructions on the drawings carefully. The drawings provide just about everything they need, including parameter settings and direction of travel for vertical welds.

Resources

Check out the SkillsUSA website—skillsUSA.org. You can purchase the drawings for the 2004 welding competition by clicking on "Catalog" and then on the "Contest Singles" tab. Contest singles will be available after September 1st, 2004. The cost is 8.95. Alternatively, call or email me, and I'll send you a packet including a scoring summary for the competition, sample drawings, and a sample written test.

Best of luck in your regional and state competitions. Hope to see you next year in Kansas City.

Steve Houston is the Director of Curriculum Materials Development at HIWT. In addition to serving on the Technical Committee for the SkillsUSA National Welding Competition, Steve is a member of the AWS Education Committee, the Educators' Subcommittee, and the Image of Welding Committee. You can contact Steve at 800 332-9448 ext. 5214, or you can email him at steve.houston@welding.org.