The 42^nd annual National Leadership and Skills Conference was held in Kansas City the 19-23 June 2006, showcasing career and technical education students.  More than 13,750 students, teachers, and education leaders along with more than 1,000 representatives from national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions attended the event and were housed in 29 hotels and motels within the city. 

The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for public high school and postsecondary, college and technical students enrolled in trade, technical, and skilled service profession instructional programs including allied health occupations.  Over 4,700 students participated in the competition with over 500 people from business and labor judging the results of the students’ work.  SkillsUSA organizes this event and it is considered the single greatest day of industry volunteerism in America every year at an estimated cost of more than $30 million.

The Championships require a massive amount of equipment and materials, including more than 850 computers, 50 trucks, 9,500 bricks and 1,500 blocks, 60 stoves, and complete laboratories for machining, welding, and auto repair and painting.  The cost of electricity usage for this week in 2005 totaled over $120,000 (combined electric bill and in-kind services).  The contest area covered 685,782 sq. ft. or an area equivalent to more than eleven football fields.  More than 6,000 lunches are served to competitors and judges and 2,046 medals and 201 service awards were presented. 

One of the highlights of the event was the annual SkillsUSA Championships held on June 22 that included 84 hands-on skill and leadership competitions.   Each SkillsUSA Championships contestant is a state-level gold medalist. The Hobart Institute of Welding Technology would like to extend congratulations to those students who earned medals in the welding competition.

In secondary school competition:

GOLD MEDAL -  Josh Gillespie of Flatrock High School, Flatrock, Michigan
SILVER MEDAL – Don DeGrandmont of Regional Technical Institute, Reno, Nevada
BRONZE MEDAL – Westley A. Smith of Sun Area Career and Technology Center, New Berlin, Pennsylvania

In postsecondary school competition:

GOLD MEDAL – Mohammed Farhat of Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, Michigan
SILVER MEDAL – Jeremiah Garcia of College of Eastern Utah, Price, Utah
BRONZE MEDAL – Josh D. Ledbetter of Wallace State College, Hanceville, Alabama

Begun in 1967, the SkillsUSA Championships have grown from 54 competitors in three contests to more than 4,700 competitors in 84 hands-on skill and leadership contests.  SkillsUSA adds contests to the SkillsUSA Championships to meet the demands of new and expanding occupations.  One hundred and thirty different occupational areas are represented by SkillsUSA affiliated instructional programs.

Formerly known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America), SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force by helping each student excel.