4,000 Students to Compete in National SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City On June 28

    KANSAS CITY, Mo.--June 12, 2001--On June 28, more than 4,000 students will compete on the showroom floor of H. Roe Bartle Conference Center in Kansas City, Mo. for the 37th SkillsUSA Championships.
    "It is an unbelievable sight to see so many students competing in 72 occupational and leadership skills areas in nine football fields of space," states Tim Lawrence executive director of SkillsUSA which runs the championships.
    "For instance, at one end of the contest floor they'll be hammering and sawing a building while at the other end students are tuning automotive, diesel and plane engines. In between, cooks are preparing gourmet meals and baking cakes, teams are programming robots, technicians are designing Web sites and networking computers, nurses are caring for patients, and models are getting their hair and nails done. The service economy, the manufacturing economy, they're both here and healthy," Lawrence further explains. The competing students are easily identifiable by their red jackets--and white work uniforms--standard SkillsUSA attire.
    Contestants have developed their occupational and academic skills to their highest levels and they have won local and state contests. This is particularly good news to the nation's employers who are faced with critical work shortages. It is also important to note that, while the nation's supply of skilled workers is shrinking, SkillsUSA participation is growing.
    This event is the largest to take place in Kansas City, Mo. and involves some challenging logistics. "It's like a military operation," says Lawrence. The competition floor set-up is staggering and includes more than 700 computers; 70 trucks; 10,000 bricks; 100 stoves; and complete laboratories for machining, welding, auto repair and painting. 1,000 to 1,200 contest judges represent a wide range of industry and labor.
    SkillsUSA not only provides students with occupational choices and support, it also has a "Professional Development Program" which guides students through 84 employability skills lessons including goal setting, career planning and community service. Also taught are teambuilding and communication skills, customer service and resource management.
    "We want to make sure SkillsUSA students will make the best possible employees and that they're ready to build their careers," states Lawrence. He knows the steps. Lawrence is an alumnus of the program himself who became a welder and then a teacher. He receives numerous calls from employers of SkillsUSA students who are impressed by both the students' attitude toward the workplace and their work ethic. "We impress even the very basics on students, such as the importance of always getting to work on time," Lawrence explains.
    With the support of national corporations and industry valued in excess of $20 million, the SkillsUSA Championships is the greatest commitment to corporate volunteerism in a single day event anywhere in America. It is also the largest showcase of public education, career and technical skills in the world. Corporations across the nation will be on hand to support the success of the SkillsUSA programs.
    The event is just one method SkillsUSA uses to help set and deliver national standards. Industry is able to influence standards through this event that are then sent back to the classroom.
    "This is one of the best mechanisms in the country promoting an interface between business and education to meet industry standards for education and training," Lawrence adds.
    In an era when America faces a future of crippling work shortages, SkillsUSA and its enthusiastic corporate partners and students, offer a solid solution. "We may not be able to influence public opinion toward service and manufacturing occupations," Lawrence states in discussing the public perception of the trades, "but we can support the young adults across the nation who are eager to enter the workforce via a skilled trade and they're essential to our nation's success."
    SkillsUSA is a national organization serving 250,000 high school and college students and professional members in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations. SkillsUSA has nearly 13,000 chapters and 54 state and territorial associations.
    For information on your local SkillsUSA-VICA chapter, call the SkillsUSA headquarters at 703-777-8810, or visit the website at www.skillsusa.org.
    EDITOR'S NOTE: Students arrive in Kansas City on Tuesday, June 26 for (7 pm) opening ceremonies and remain on-site through Friday evening award ceremonies. They are available for interviews and showroom floor is open to media only Tuesday through Friday.