SkillsUSA Career Essentials Instructor-Requested Revisions Are Here!
Teachers asked and SkillsUSA listened! An updated version of SkillsUSA Career Essentials is now available on SkillsUSA Absorb. Here are a few highlights of the course revisions:
· Instructors can now purchase individual units from the high school and adult curricula.
· The number of required activities has been reduced so instructors have
greater control over which and how many projects students complete.
· Instructors are no longer required to approve required project activities from their administrative dashboard.
· Instructors can now choose how students submit project activities. For example, students can submit project activities by turning in printed documents, by email, uploading to a shared drive, etc.
To view how each course has been revised for greater flexibility and ease of use, click here. For help placing an order or to learn more about the revisions to SkillsUSA Career Essentials, email the Customer Care Team or call 844-875-4557.
Registration Closes Soon for ELEVATE!
The SkillsUSA Elevate Chapter Officer Development Conference is Oct. 19 from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET. Plan now to attend this virtual interactive experience for local officer teams that focuses on building successful chapters by equipping officers with the skills to lead and serve their members. Elevate is open to all SkillsUSA chapter officers. At least one advisor must participate with each team. Participate right from your classroom, and the cost is only $10 per participant. Register through the membership site here. Registration closes Oct. 5.
SkillsUSA Technical Fridays Workshops
Join us for “SkillsUSA Technical Fridays,” a series of virtual workshops led by industry experts to help teachers develop specific technical skills relevant to their career fields. Leave the sessions with new knowledge and skills to implement in the classroom. Learn more about the workshops here.
· On Oct. 21, from 3-4 p.m. ET, offensive security consultant Kyle Boyer will discuss providing vulnerability assessment, pen-testing and red-teaming services to large organizations, helping them assess their security posture as well as proactively identifying security weak points before a potential breach. The workshop will provide a high-level overview of the pen-testing process followed by a deep dive into the reconnaissance and enumeration phases of a penetration test. It will also cover open-source intelligence gathering techniques which can be used to gather general information about a target company.
Workshops are free of charge but space is limited. Register here. If you have questions, contact Karolina Belen.
SkillsUSA Scholarships Benefit Students
One of the greatest benefits of student membership in SkillsUSA is the opportunity to earn educational scholarships. Some scholarships are based on merit, while others are based on financial need. These are competitive opportunities, so be sure to carefully review the scholarship requirements. If selected, students must complete a SkillsUSA scholarship acceptance form and payment is sent directly to the educational institution to be applied toward the recipient’s tuition bill. To earn a scholarship, students must be current registered SkillsUSA members and have paid both state and national membership dues for this school year. Check out the SkillsUSA scholarships and grants here. New this year, students can apply for most scholarships via a single online application.
A Wealth of Professional Development This Fall
Join other SkillsUSA advisors for our fall Professional Development offerings to assist you in launching the new school year. Register for all sessions through absorb.skillsusa.org. Here are some sessions coming soon:
· Oct. 17 at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. ET — Communicating the Value of Career Readiness. During this interactive workshop, learn ways of communicating the value of the SkillsUSA Framework and how to motivate students to prioritize their own career readiness.
· Oct. 19 at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. ET — Chapter Excellence Program (CEP). Explore the ten phases of CEP planning and navigate your SkillsUSA chapter to success by creating relevant activities that encourage student participation. This session will walk you through the CEP application and provide best practice tips.
Learn more about all fall professional development offerings from SkillsUSA's online training calendar. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.
The SkillsUSA Store – Featured Product
The new Women’s and Men’s SkillsUSA logo Boulder Jacket is a fashionable fall essential! This durable canvas jacket can be buttoned all the way up to be worn as a shirt or layered over any tee or sweater for a trendy look. The interior is 100% cotton flannel lined.
Wolverine and Ram Trucks Support SkillsUSA
Wolverine and Ram Trucks have collaborated again this year on a campaign for their “Wolverine x Ram” line of work boots, built in the USA and inspired by the iconic details of Ram Trucks. To support the next generation of skilled workers, Wolverine and Ram are donating $10 to SkillsUSA for every pre-order from the line of boots, hats, sweatshirts, T-shirts and socks. Check out the collection now.
Support the Trades — and SkillsUSA — in Fashion
SkillsUSA has once again teamed up with Tractor Supply Company (TSC) and Carhartt for a “Support the Trades” campaign, designed to raise awareness of the skilled trades while helping SkillsUSA close the skilled trades gap. Carhartt and TSC are offering an expanded “Support the Trades” line of shirts and hats designed by Carhartt, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to SkillsUSA! The exclusive T-shirts and hats for women and men are now available at Tractor Supply Online or your local TSC store. Check out this promotional video and follow the campaign on SkillsUSA’s social media this fall.
Plan Now for Manufacturing Day
Many SkillsUSA chapters participate in Manufacturing Day, a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation. While the 2022 Manufacturing Day is officially celebrated on Oct. 7, your chapter can hold events on any date in October. Activities for students might include a local plant tour, a virtual industry tour or meeting, or an open house or other event on campus that highlights manufacturing programs. SkillsUSA chapters are asked to share their Manufacturing Day photos and stories with Hayley Uffelman, SkillsUSA’s social media manager.
Apply Now for ACTE Teacher and Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is seeking nominations for the National Trade and Industrial Education Division Awards to be presented during the annual CareerTech VISION conference. This year’s conference will be held Nov. 30 - Dec. 3 in Las Vegas, Nev. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 10. Qualified individuals may be nominated in the following categories: Teacher of the Year, New Teacher of the Year and Lifetime Achievement, and you may nominate yourself. (If you nominate someone else, please be sure to notify the nominee.) Click here to nominate someone for the awards. For additional conference information, visit ACTE CareerTech VISION 2022.