Friday Flash Oct 23, 2026
Louisiana Fall Leadership Conference - Middle School and High School
Book your rooms before Nov 3 to ensure space. https://book.passkey.com/e/51311878
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: November 3
Conference registration deadline: November 6
Registration fee: $100 per participant (Monday Lunch and Dinner Included)
Late fee: $10 per participant after November 6
Quiz Bowl and LifeSmarts | Free Competition Resources
Are you an advisor or team member of a SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl team? Do you want to prepare for the LifeSmarts topic questions? Have your team take the LifeSmarts SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz!
How to Take Advantage of Free Resources:
To compete in the LifeSmarts SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz, advisors (coaches) should register at: Competition.LifeSmarts.org/Register
Important: Set your team type to SkillsUSA QB and to Varsity (grades 9 – 12) or Junior Varsity (grades 6-8)
· The coach designates one student as the team captain. The student who will be the team captain must register at the above location and join the team their advisor has established.
· The SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz will only be available to the team captain. The team captain logs in between October 1 and November 30, then clicks the “Quizzes” tab on the left side of the page, then opens the “SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl Preparatory Quiz” folder.
· The captain leads the team in working together to complete the quiz.
· Only the captain is required to register and log in for the competition. However, all student team members will benefit by registering at the above location and joining the team the advisor has created to take practice quizzes, the daily quiz, and monthly SkillsUSA TeamSmarts quizzes. All team members may use the free study tools. This also makes your team eligible to participate in other LifeSmarts competitions, events, scholarships, and awards!
Questions? Email LifeSmarts. Get ready now to show your LifeSmarts in the SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl!
Visit the SkillsUSA dedicated resources page at: LifeSmarts.org/SkillsUSA
Upcoming Competition Overview Webinars
To support your students’ preparation for the SkillsUSA Championships, the following overview webinars will be offered. The upcoming sessions will review the revised competition scope and guidelines. Participants will learn about key updates and expectations to help them prepare effectively for competition.
Save the Date - Upcoming Competition Overview Webinars
· Facilithon – Leadership in Facility Management | Monday, November 9 at 5 p.m. ET
· Information Technology Services | Thursday, November 12 at 2:00 pm ET
· Principles of Engineering-Technology | Thursday, November 12 at 4:15 p.m. ET
· Job Skill Demonstration A & B | Tuesday, November 17 at 3:15 pm ET
· Commercial Roofing | Wednesday, November 18 at 2 p.m. ET
· Automotive Refinishing Technology | Wednesday, November 18 at 5:00 pm ET
Overview webinar links are also published on the Competition Updates webpage. If any additional overview webinars are scheduled, a link will be posted as a Competition Update, so please continue checking the updates page for the latest information. A recording of each session will be posted as a Competition-Specific Update within a few days following the webinar.
Mobile Robotics Technology: Webinar Recording and Challenge Guide Update
· The recording of the Mobile Robotics Technology overview webinar, held October 1, 2026, is now available on Competition Updates webpage.
· The challenge guide is delayed and will be released within two weeks. The technical committee is changing the game elements because not all schools have access to VEX game elements. The new elements will be items anyone can easily purchase. The tasks and overall theme of the competition described in the webinar will not change.
· Thank you for your patience as we work to make this competition accessible to all members.
Competitors and advisors are encouraged to attend available webinars and to continue monitoring the official Competition Updates webpage for the most current information.
Missed the John Deere Technical Session? Watch It Here
Diesel equipment technology, a hands-on electrical lesson and a look at dealership career pathways — it’s all in the recording of our Oct. 8 technical session with John Deere. Watch it on your own schedule, then explore the John Deere TECH Program, the Educator Interest Form and John Deere career opportunities to bring back to your classroom.
3D Visualization and Animation NLSC 2027 Prompt
The national technical committee has published the NLSC 2027 prompt for the 3D Visualization and Animation competition. This is a new prompt format for the high school and college divisions, and the committee encourages states to use it throughout the competition season. Please visit the Competition Updates for complete details.
IBM SkillsBuild Technical Session
Bring emerging technology into your classroom with free, workforce-aligned resources from IBM SkillsBuild.
Join SkillsUSA and IBM for an advisor-only webinar with Kiki Huckaby, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at IBM. Explore practical ways to incorporate artificial intelligence, data and cybersecurity into your instruction, and learn how to participate in the IBM SkillsBuild Educator Challenge for a chance to win an IBM-branded The North Face fleece.
Date: Oct. 29, 2026
Time: 4–5 p.m. ET
During this session, you’ll learn how to:
· Access IBM SkillsBuild’s free learning resources and credential opportunities.
· Connect course content to your training program and classroom instruction.
· Get started with the SkillsUSA + IBM SkillsBuild Challenge and track course completion.
IBM SkillsBuild Educator Challenge
Facilitate at least 30 course completions for a chance to receive an IBM-branded The North Face fleece. Join the webinar to learn the participation requirements and how to verify progress.
Registration:
· Membership submitted? Register through SkillsUSA Pathful.
· Membership not yet submitted? Complete this registration form to attend.
Connect with Carrier: An HVACR Technical Session
Join Carrier for an advisor-only SkillsUSA Technical Session to explore industry insights, helpful resources and practical ideas you can bring back to your classroom. Connect with industry expertise and discover ways to support your students’ learning and career exploration.
Event DetailsTuesday, November 3 | 3–4 p.m. ET
How to Register
Membership submitted? Register through SkillsUSA Pathful.
Membership not yet submitted? Complete this registration form to attend.
Work-Based Learning Resource Spotlight: Industry Tours Guide
Planning a company visit or facility tour? SkillsUSA’s Industry Tours Guide can help you turn the experience into a meaningful work-based learning opportunity.
The guide supports intentional planning before, during and after a tour, with strategies to prepare students, coordinate with industry partners and help students reflect on the careers, skills and workplace expectations they observe.
Use the guide to plan your next industry tour! Access it on SkillsUSA Pathful:
Find the Work-Based Learning Toolkit under Professional Member Benefits and select More Details.
Locate Work-Based Learning Guides and select Preview.
Choose Download the Industry Tours Guide, then select Download Document.
Build Your Chapter’s Year, and Bring Industry Into Your Classroom
Upcoming professional development covers both sides of the job: running a strong chapter and teaching what industry needs right now.
Building a Strong Program of Work — Tuesday, Oct. 27, 5 p.m. ET. Map out a yearlong plan with a hands-on simulation of how committees plan, run and evaluate activities.
Member Handbook and Companion Guides — Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5 p.m. ET. Practical ways to use the updated handbook and division guides in class and chapter activities.
IBM SkillsBuild Technical Session — Thursday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m. ET. Bring AI, data and cybersecurity into your instruction with free IBM resources. You’ll also learn about the Educator Challenge and its chance to win an IBM-branded The North Face fleece.
SkillsUSA Advisor Town Hall — Monday, Nov. 2, 5:30 p.m. ET. Your monthly rundown of updates and resources for the month ahead.
Connect with Carrier: A HVACR Technical Session — Tuesday, Nov. 3, 3 p.m. ET. A look at the refrigerant transition, variable-speed systems and heat pump advances, with a live demo of diagnostic tools. A must for HVACR instructors.
SkillsUSA Pathful 101 + Career Profiles — Wednesday, Nov. 4, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. ET. A guided platform tour, plus how students use career profiles.
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:
Help Us Celebrate Excellence in Trade and Industrial Education: Nominations Due Oct. 30
Know someone who is making a difference in Trade and Industrial Education? The ACTE T&I Division, in partnership with SkillsUSA, invites you to nominate an outstanding professional whose dedication, leadership and contributions are helping strengthen career and technical education. Honorees will be recognized through the National Trade and Industrial Education Division Awards at the annual ACTE CareerTech VISION conference.
Please note: The Trade and Industrial Division Awards are separate from the ACTE Excellence Awards.
This year’s conference takes place Dec. 2–5 in New Orleans, and the nomination deadline is
Oct. 30, 2026. Eligible individuals may be nominated in the categories below, and self-nominations are welcome. If you submit a nomination on someone else’s behalf, please notify the nominee.
For additional conference information, please visit ACTE CareerTech VISION.
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.
“You Should Use It More”
On Oct. 8 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., SkillsUSA national officer Curtis Muecke joined student leaders from FBLA, FFA and FCCLA for National Be A Teacher Day. He spoke about the advisor who first told him his voice mattered, and about why every industry depends on the educators who prepare its workforce. Read his full remarks on the SkillsUSA Champions digital hub.
Read the full story on the SkillsUSA Champions hub.
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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