Keep Voting and Help SkillsUSA Win!
It’s not too late to help SkillsUSA serve more members by earning a substantial financial gift from the LKQ Community Foundation. SkillsUSA has been nominated as one of 10 nonprofits competing for a share of $1,000,000 being donated by the LKQ Foundation this holiday season. (LKQ Corporation is the largest nationwide provider of aftermarket collision replacement products.) The nonprofits with the most votes receive the largest donation amounts. Please share the voting link with students, supporters and your school and social network to showcase our SkillsUSA pride! Vote daily through Friday, Dec. 8.
Louisiana State T-Shirt, Pin, and Banner winners were announced at Fall Leadership.
The Following students were announced as the 2024 design winners. They underwent a fierce judging that consisted of an in person interview and a panel of judging for the best design. The T-Shirt and Pin designs will advance to nationals. The Following winners are:
Banner: Lucinda Palma - Bossier Parish School for Technology
T-Shirt: Amanda Chamberlin - Caddo Career Center
Pin: Miranda Autin - Louis Miller Terrebonne Career and Technical High School
Plan Now for SkillsUSA Week!
It’s not too early to begin planning your chapter activities for SkillsUSA Week, which will be celebrated Feb. 5-9, 2024, at SkillsUSA schools nationwide. Each day of the week is represented by suggested activities, including Recognition Day, Give-Back Day, Partner Day, Advocacy Day and SkillsUSA Day to wrap up the week. For all the details, see the website, and a SkillsUSA Week chapter guide will be posted on the webpage soon. Start planning now, especially for any partner visits or presentations to be scheduled outside of the school day.
Thank You for Helping SkillsUSA Prevail on #GivingTuesday
On Nov. 28 for #GivingTuesday, SkillsUSA asked our supporters to champion the trades and support a dream by helping to establish the new SkillsUSA Prevail Student Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will support high school juniors, seniors and college/postsecondary students in any pathway. An award from the fund can remove barriers that prevent our members from completing their education or attaining their career goals. Thanks to your generosity, a total of $13,040 has been raised to date. However, it isn’t too late to donate and have it count as we strive to reach our $15,000 goal. Help us grow this fund by donating now to become a founding donor of the Prevail Scholarship Fund.
Skills Jam Resources for the Classroom
Skills Jam is one of the best shows on YouTube, featuring the competition journeys of SkillsUSA students and their advisors — and even a trip to Hollywood for some of the students! The Skills Jam team has released new materials to facilitate a classroom showing. In this Skills Jam Resources folder, there is a flyer and discussion guide. Screen one or more episodes and then talk to the students about what they viewed and how they feel about it. This is a great December activity when you need a ready-to-go lesson plan. Download the resources and watch SkillsUSA shine!
Get Recognized for Your Successful Chapter
If your SkillsUSA chapter is having a productive year, apply to be recognized for your work. Document as you elect officers, hold regular chapter meetings, plan a Program of Work (PoW) and engage in Framework learning as you plan and deliver various activities. It’s easy to complete the Chapter Excellence Program (CEP) Quality Chapter application and receive the recognition your chapter has earned!
The online CEP application is located on the SkillsUSA membership registration site. Log into your school account, then follow these directions for accessing the application. See the “Build a Successful SkillsUSA Chapter Teacher’s Guide 2.0” guide for how to complete the application, engage students in the process and infuse the SkillsUSA Framework into chapter activities.
For help with your CEP application, contact the SkillsUSA Customer Care by calling 844-875-4557 or send an email. You can also utilize one-on-one coaching with CEP and PoW coach, Kelli Engelbrecht. Schedule a 30-minute Zoom coaching call here. During the session, learn how to integrate the SkillsUSA Framework, articulate SMART goals and select and evaluate SkillsUSA Framework Essential Elements within the CEP application.
Update on the SkillsUSA Nov. 15 Membership Incentive
Advisors who met the criteria to get the 2023 SkillsUSA membership incentive received an email from SkillsUSA on Dec. 4. This email included a promo code and a form to complete by Dec. 12 to receive the free resource. To qualify for this year’s membership incentive, SkillsUSA advisors needed to register 15 student members (along with one or more professionals) per training program by Nov. 15. If you have questions or did not receive the email, call the Customer Care Team at 844-875-4557.
SkillsUSA Career Essentials Technical Assessments
As a reminder, after Dec. 15, ONLY the following eight SkillsUSA Career Essentials Technical Assessments are available for purchase:
· Career Ready
· Customer Service
· Digital File Preparation/Digital File Output*
· Digital Production Printing*
· Graphic Design*
· Introduction to Graphic Communications*
· Offset Press Operations/Binding & Finishing*
· Screen Printing*
* Print [ED] assessments
However, until Dec. 15, advisors can order any of the 39 currently offered assessments and SkillsUSA will honor these for one year from the date of purchase. After the assessments are disabled on Dec. 15, teachers and students will still have access to past performance data, certificates and transcripts. No refunds for previous purchases can be made. For assistance or questions, contact our Customer Care Team at 844-875-4557.
SkillsUSA state officers or other students planning to apply as national officer candidates are granted complimentary access to the SkillsUSA Career Essentials advanced curriculum or adult learner curriculum. Successful completion of the course culminates in the industry-validated SkillsUSA Career Essentials Credential. Students applying to run for national office who wish to take the course should complete this course registration form by Jan. 10, 2024. The course begins Jan. 12 and runs through May 17. Students have access to the course 24/7 and all coursework takes place outside of school hours. See the course syllabus and general course implementation schedule. The time commitment is about 21.5 hours in total. For questions, contact Megan Flinn.
The Career Essentials and the Educational Resource stores will be closed during the SkillsUSA holiday break. Both stores will close on Friday, December 15, and reopen on Tuesday, January 2. Be sure to place all orders for resources prior to 5 p.m. ET on December 15 to ensure shipment during the holiday. Any orders placed after 5 p.m. ET on December 15 will ship out the week of January 2. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Marcia Strickland.
If you would like to nominate someone for recognition by SkillsUSA as an Honorary Life Member or Outstanding Career and Technical Educator, please complete the online applications. Be sure to notify those you nominate and provide all of the information that is requested. The deadline is Feb. 14. If you have questions, contact Laura Rauch.
Advisors: Print Membership Cards within SkillsUSA Registration System
An important SkillsUSA registration site feature is the option for advisors to print student or professional membership cards at any time, providing each member with proof of registration. You can opt to print one card per page or multiple cards on a single page using the batch print option. These can be presented to members at a chapter meeting or passed out when dues are collected. The card printing option is available when advisors log into the membership registration website.
SkillsUSA Scholarships Open Jan. 2!
SkillsUSA students have exclusive opportunities for several valuable college/postsecondary scholarships available through our generous industry partners. Beginning Jan. 2, registered SkillsUSA members anticipating tuition expenses for the Fall 2024 academic term (or the term immediately following high school graduation) can apply for these scholarships. This year, SkillsUSA will be using Kaleidoscope, a scholarship platform that offers a streamlined application experience. Students are encouraged to visit the scholarships page now to preview scholarship opportunities and award amounts. For questions about scholarships, contact Megan Flinn.
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