“When am I ever going to use this?”
This is likely the most asked question in the history of high school.
Students in the SkillsUSA program don’t ask it, however, because they are counting on using what they are learning.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. It was formerly known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America).
Students can benefit highly from their participation in the Skills program.
“They can get better insight into what career path they want to choose. It’s an opportunity for them to feel out what field to choose before they head off to college,” Adam Skrdla, the SkillsUSA sponsor, said.
Students in SkillsUSA will likely apply what they learn to their future career like senior Tanner Davis, who plans to become an underwater welder after high school.
“I like Skills because it gives me a chance to practice my skills in a real life situation,” Davis said.
SkillsUSA offers many opportunities for growth through competitions. Students can compete at the local or state level. State winners go on the national competition: The SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City. Other contests include the WorldSkills Competition, the opportunity to design the National Leadership and Skills Conference Pin and the chance to have your photography published in SkillsUSA Champions magazine.
The competitions give a wide range of interests to suit every competitor.
“I do 3D Visualization and animation for my competition,” said junior Austin Kopisch. “A partner and I will go and for 8 hours we work on a 3D rendering video (CG). One we are done, we put it on a flash drive and it will be judged by whether our video met the criteria for the challenge. Then our score is compared to others to determine the winners of the competition,” Kopisch said.
Their participation requires a great deal of practice.
“We go in before or after school and work with a 3D program and follow the tutorials to teach us how to make shapes, landscapes, and add textures to them,” Kopisch said.
