Friday Flash Nov 6, 2026
Louisiana Fall Leadership Conference - Middle School and High School
DEADLINE is TODAY Friday Nov 6
Get ready to bring your chapter’s leadership to the next level!
The 2026 SkillsUSA Louisiana Fall Leadership Conference will give students practical leadership training, opportunities to connect with members from across the state, and tools they can bring home to strengthen their local chapters.
This year’s conference will be held November 16–17 at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. We encourage you to bring your chapter officers, emerging student leaders, and students who are ready to become more involved in SkillsUSA.
Important Notes:
Hotel reservation deadline: Past
Conference registration deadline: TODAY November 6
Registration fee: $100 per participant (Monday Lunch and Dinner Included)
Late fee: $10 per participant after November 6
Connect Your Classroom to Industry with Four Sessions This Month
Four virtual professional development sessions over the next two weeks will help you bring business and industry into your program. You’ll get ready-to-use tools for outreach, advisory committees and real-world student projects.
• Bringing Business and Industry to the Classroom — Monday, Nov. 9, 5 p.m. ET. Learn a four-step process for inviting, preparing and engaging industry partners, using scripts and templates from the Business and Industry Outreach Guide.
• Work-Based Learning with SkillsUSA — Thursday, Nov. 12, 5 p.m. ET. Break down the four Career Discovery Phases and the three components of occupational identity, then brainstorm new work-based learning activities for your chapter and classroom.
• SkillsUSA Advisory Committees — Tuesday, Nov. 17, 5 p.m. ET. Build an advisory committee that does more than meet. You’ll leave with strategies, tools and templates that strengthen industry connections year-round.
• SkillsUSA Pathful: Industry Led Projects — Wednesday, Nov. 18, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. ET. Explore Industry Led Projects, which are six- to eight-week virtual challenges where students tackle real industry problems and get feedback from professionals along the way. A full teacher guide is included.
New On-Demand Work-Based Learning Training
Build your confidence in planning meaningful work-based learning experiences with new on-demand training modules, now available in SkillsUSA Pathful! Explore WBL foundations and strategies for choosing the right experience for your students, all at your own pace.
Find the modules: SkillsUSA Pathful → Work-Based Learning Toolkit → LEARN → WBL Modules
Turn Used Shoes into Opportunities with Funds2Orgs
SkillsUSA chapters now have a new, easy way to raise funds while making a positive impact in their communities. Through our partnership with Funds2Orgs, advisors can launch a shoe drive fundraiser that collects gently worn, used and new shoes.
Chapters earn money based on the number of shoes collected, which helps support student activities, competitions and chapter initiatives. The program is free to start, provides fundraising support and materials, and promotes sustainability by keeping shoes out of landfills while supporting micro-businesses around the world. Learn how your chapter can get started today by visiting the SkillsUSA Funds2Orgs landing page.
Take Up the Challenge! National Conference Pin and
T-shirt Design
SkillsUSA is offering the 2027 National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) Pin and T-shirt Design Challenge to all dues-paying student members. The winning designs will become the official T-shirt and pin for the 2027 NLSC. The challenge is open now, entries must be received by February 1, 2027, at midnight ET, and winners will be announced on February 8. Download the rules below:
• NLSC T-shirt Design
• NLSC Pin Design
Level UP Your Membership –– and Earn Free SkillsUSA Resources!
SkillsUSA advisors have an extra reason to grow their chapters this year!
Advisors who register at least 15 student members in one technical program, along with one or more instructors as professional members, by Nov. 15 will receive a free SkillsUSA Educational Resource.
Chapters can also earn SkillsUSA Framework banners by growing their membership over last year. Chapters that register 25 more members than last year will receive a SkillsUSA Framework banner, while chapters registering 50 or more additional members will receive two Chapter Framework banners.
Qualifying advisors will receive an email after Nov. 15 with instructions for redeeming their incentives.
Start recruiting now, grow your chapter and Level Up your SkillsUSA membership! Check out the promotional flyer.
Careers in Your Community Challenge: Submissions Due Nov. 19
Deadline: Nov. 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET. The U.S. Department of Education’s Careers in Your Community Challenge invites high schools to propose solutions that improve career exploration at their schools. It’s the fourth challenge in the department’s CTE Momentum series, which aims to prepare high school students for rewarding careers and increase access to career and technical education. Up to 10 winning teams will receive an equal share of the $50,000 prize pool.
Ready to get started? With less than a month until submissions close, CTE teachers can review the challenge details, selection criteria and available resources with students, then work together to identify ways to strengthen career exploration at their school. Subscribe to the CTE Momentum newsletter for challenge updates and reminders.
Share Your Community Service Stories with SkillsUSA!
The SkillsUSA Champions digital hub provides new content frequently, from inspiring features to stories about the great work chapters and partners are doing. We know your chapters are doing some amazing community service work this holiday season and we would love to write about it. To submit a story idea, send us the details through our “Submit a Story” link, and we’ll contact you.
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