Casper College to host three-day Wyoming SkillsUSA Championship
Once again, Casper College will be the site for the three-day Wyoming SkillsUSA Championship on April 24-26. “Wyoming SkillsUSA is humbled to be back on the campus of Casper College this year. Since 2018, Casper College has opened its doors and has hosted the majority of our contests,” said Janie Wilcox, director for the Wyoming Association of SkillsUSA.
A total of 649 career and technical education students from 33 high schools and colleges across the state will compete in contests demonstrating their skills in career areas, including manufacturing, transportation, construction, hospitality, and human services. “Career and technical education is learning that works for America, and we are very proud of this talented group of students who are champions dedicated to excellence in their trades,” noted Wilcox. “These students are demonstrating their skill while proving that our workforce is prepared to lead the way in every technical area our country needs to maintain a strong global economic presence,” said Wilcox.
“Dean (Rachel) Chadderdon and her staff and faculty have gone above and beyond to help our association make this event successful for our competitors. Dean Chadderdon completely understands the importance of CTE as it relates to the future workforce of Wyoming. In that regard, we are a team working in tandem to provide an opportunity for these students to demonstrate their skills, proving that our workforce is prepared to lead the way in every technical area our country needs to maintain a strong global economic presence,” said Wilcox.
During the competition, students will work against the clock, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, automotive service, medical assisting, and culinary arts, according to SkillsUSA. All contests are run with the help of industry experts, trade associations, and labor organizations and will test competencies set by professional industry standards.
The winners will go on to compete in the national SkillsUSA Championships this June in Atlanta.
Schools that will have students competing include Big Horn High School, Buffalo High School, Burlington High School, Campbell County High School, Casper College, Cheyenne Central High School, Cheyenne South High School, Douglas High School, Cheyenne East High School, Eastern Wyoming College, Gillette College, Green River High School, Greybull High School, Guernsey-Sunrise High School and Middle School, Kelly Walsh High School, Kemmerer High School, Laramie County Community College, Laramie High School, Lovell High School, Natrona County High School, Niobrara County High School, Pathways Innovation Center, Powell High School, Riverton High School, Rock Springs High School, Rocky Mountain High School, Sheridan College, Sheridan High School, Ten Sleep High School, Thunder Basin High School, Western Wyoming Community College, and Worland High School.
In addition to the three-day competition at the Casper College campus, Natrona County residents can receive free one-on-one tutoring on their cell phones and other mobile devices, thanks to high school students participating in the SkillsUSA Championships. Students will be at the Casper Senior Center from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, to provide one-on-one tutoring on mobile devices. This event is free and open to the public.
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SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills. With SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges, and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. SkillsUSA has served 14.2 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.