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Skill Connect Assessments Make Their Debut

April 1st, 2009

March 16 was the launch date of the Work Force Ready System and the first eight Skill Connect Assessments. They are now available for sale. And, what’s the reaction been from the field? Positive. We have people signing up to be proctors. We’ve already sold assessments to schools, and we have many more schools and states calling and sending inquiries and expressing interest. To see the purchase site, go to www.workforcereadysystem.org/. 

We’re not keeping our light under a bushel either. In support of Work Force Ready System marketing, our communications office has sent out news releases to the education press, education reporters and to the trade press for all of the areas covered by this initial release. Our PR agency is sending follow-ups to the major publications.

In all, 1,300 e-mailed releases have been sent, and we know we’ve already received coverage, including Industry Week. To see it, go to this link. The main release and the cosmetology news release were also posted on PRWeb, and that means we’ve been covered on Google News, Yahoo News, MSN and the Associated Press among 42 other search engines. We know our news has been read in Canada, China, India, Germany, Spain, France and Italy, among many other nations. There have been over 500 complete readings of the general release alone. To see the release online, please click on this link. 

The National Automotive Student Skills Standards Assessments from Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Automotive Youth Education Systems (AYES), National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and SkillsUSA for Automotive Service Technology and Collision Repair and Refinish were also announced on March 16. They have a test window from April 15 – June 12. For information, go to www.na3sa.com/.

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Highlights

April 1st, 2009
  • The mood at the ACTE (Association of Career and Technical Education) Policy and Planning Seminar in Washington, D.C. from March 9-11 was hopeful but not assured. Speaker after speaker said that career and technical education’s (CTE) moment is now. Some speakers said that to take advantage of CTE’s opportunities, we need to move on increasing CTE funding in the next two years. In light of the recession and the new administration, policymakers understand that America needs a skilled work force, that it needs to retrain its existing work force, and that education to prepare students for further education and to keep them from dropping out of school is what CTE is all about. Staffers from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee talked about meeting these needs. So, too, did Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Secretary Duncan spoke of the administration’s dedication to finding the best practices for stopping dropouts and also sending students on to higher education. The Secretary frequently referenced technical and community colleges during his remarks. I believe CTE has his ear, but there’s much more talking to do.
  • I spoke on March 13 during the HVACR and Plumbing Instructor Workshop in Lansdowne, Virginia. Several national staffers were also there during the conference in the trade show booth. There were 325 instructors in attendance from across the country.
  • Staff attended the American Technical Education Association Conference in Chattanooga, Tenneessee to talk about SkillsUSA’s service learning model and the Work Force Ready System. Staff reported considerable interest in both SkillsUSA and the assessments.
  • SkillsUSA University seminars for national conference are up by 15. We’re now at 82 seminars.
  • TECHSPO booth reservations are up to 127.
  • We conducted our first Web conference with the SkillsUSA WorldTeam on March 19. With me on the call were Peter Carey, our official delegate, and Mark Claypool, our team leader. It was a great meeting. We covered a lot of information regarding all aspects of the students’ responsibilities and got an update on where they are with training and preparation for the 2009 WorldSkills Competition in Calgary. They asked many questions, were very enthusiastic and appear to be a very committed group of young people. To date, we have selected 12 members and have six more to go. We are working to get their bios and photos posted on the WorldTeam Web site. To view them and to learn more about the Calgary event, please visit this link.

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Tough Tools for Cool Schools Rollout

April 1st, 2009

We had a great rollout of the Tough Tools for Cool Schools campaign with Lowe’s at Lovejoy High School in Hampton, Ga. An obvious highlight was having NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson pull the #48 racecar into the Lovejoy automotive lab. In the words of instructor Price Jacobs who is a 20-year construction trades instructor at Lovejoy: “This is the greatest day of my teaching career.” Lowe’s will be presenting Kobalt tools to 515 SkillsUSA building trades programs nationwide. The estimated value of the tools is $317,000. National officer Cameron Thomas of Texas was a great speaker at the event. He spoke of the value of his teachers, CTE and SkillsUSA. Wendy Venturini, an anchor for the Speed Channel was mistress of ceremonies for the event. The nice part? Wendy is from North Carolina and a former gold medalist in Prepared Speech at SkillsUSA. She told everyone that her career had been directly influenced by her participation in SkillsUSA. Here’s a link to an ESPN video and the Lowe’s event: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY5Q89GObP4. A big thank you to Gayle Silvey, Georgia state association director for all her work in organizing the event at Lovejoy High School and getting the students and teachers prepared for the spotlight.

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SkillsUSA Amazing Race

April 1st, 2009

On Wednesday, June 24 from 9:00 – 12:00 noon during national conference, SkillsUSA will introduce an exciting new program called “SkillsUSA Amazing Race.” This program will be similar to the TV show where participants are challenged to perform various tasks and move quickly through the TECHSPO territory in order to learn more about exhibitors and win prizes. In addition, SkillsUSA’s Amazing Race will provide interactive fun for students and adults. The “passport” will be distributed through the state delegation conference materials included at the registration appointment at the beginning of the week. Participants will be challenged to find different SkillsUSA products in exhibit booths throughout the show in designated TECHSPO booths. Once at the correct booth, participants must either perform a task or duty in order to qualify for a stamp on their passport cards. There are two roadblocks included in the race. Each roadblock will delay the participant and require a bit more effort to earn the stamp. After completing pit stops 1-11 (out of 12), the participant must report to the 12th and final destination and turn in the card at the final booth. The race will conclude at the SkillsUSA Alumni booth where membership will be encouraged. Prizes will be distributed at the alumni booth to participants who complete the race. There is a limited quantity of prizes, so it will be important to complete the race in a timely manner.

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ACTE Announces 2010 CTE Month Theme/Logo Design Contest

April 1st, 2009

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announces the 2010 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month theme – CTE: Invest in Your Future. ACTE is hosting its annual CTE Month Logo Design Contest and is looking for logo submissions that illustrate the importance of CTE in providing the skills necessary for students to be competitive in the work force. The contest is open to all CTE students. The designer of the winning CTE Month logo will receive a check for $250.

 Submissions are due by Friday, May 8, 2009. The winner of the ACTE 2010 CTE Month Logo Design Contest will be contacted in May by ACTE. For more information, and specific details and instructions, please visit the CTE Month Web page at www.acteonline.org/ctemonth or contact Jon Miller at jmiller@acteonline.org. All entries become the property of ACTE, and the designer relinquishes any and all rights to compensation for use of the design. 

ACTE prefers a two-color logo design submitted in EPS (Illustrator) format, with a printed proof of the logo submission included. Entries may be submitted by mail or e-mail. For mail entries, please send logo on a CD to: Marketing Department, ACTE, 1410 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. E-mail entries should be sent to jmiller@acteonline.org and must include the EPS file and a PDF of the logo.

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Harley-Davidson Teams Up with Justin Barnes and Sharpe for Motorcycle Raffle at Skillsusa National Conference

April 1st, 2009

SkillsUSA will once again be raffling off a Dyna Super Glide Motorcycle at the 2009 National Conference Awards Ceremony, Friday, June 26 in Kansas City, Missouri. This event is made possible thanks to a generous donation by Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Inc. in cooperation with PPG Industries and Sharpe Manufacturing Company.

The SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends Association will be the beneficiary of this year’s raffle. State alumni groups have an opportunity to sell the raffle tickets and raise money for their own state group or to support the national alumni association. We anticipate this to be a lucrative fund-raising opportunity. Tickets are $5.00 each or five tickets for $20.00. For each ticket sold, the alumni group selling the ticket will receive $1.00. 

Adding excitement to the raffle this year, Sharpe is offering a paint gun pack valued at $2,800 and Justin Barnes of American Chopper fame is planning to come to Kansas City again and custom paint the bike! 

Please start promoting this raffle at your upcoming state conferences. Tickets can be sold anywhere. All state association ticket sales end on May 31. The winner does not need to be present for the drawing. The winner will be responsible for picking up the motorcycle at a local Harley-Davidson dealer in his or her community. 

For more information about this fundraiser and to order raffle tickets to sell at your SkillsUSA state conference, please contact Danielle Rinker at 703-737-0636 or by e-mail to drinker@skillsusa.org.

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SkillsUSA Alumni: Continue the Journey (and Win a Free Trip) Reminder

April 1st, 2009

SkillsUSA encourages all Spring 2009 high school or college graduates to join nearly ten million other former members in the SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends organization. 

We’re extending our offer of a free alumni membership to all currently registered members. Members are sent a link to our online magazine, SkillsUSA Champions as well as the online alumni forum. SkillsUSA is working to provide more networking opportunities for alumni, and more opportunities for involvement at the local, state and national level. 

SkillsUSA advisors who sign up 10 or more students for the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association can enter a drawing to win a free trip! 

Step 1: To have your students register, send them to the following link to sign up. It only takes a minute: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumnireg.shtml.

Step 2: Keep a list of the names of students who sign up for alumni. Send an email to kperrino@skillsusa.org with your list of student names. You will then be entered into a drawing for two airline tickets anywhere in the continental United States. Drawing will take place May 1, 2009. Each 10 names counts for one chance to win the trip, and you may register as many alumni members as you like.

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2009 Skillsusa National Week of Service … Together, Let’s Make A Difference Reminder

April 1st, 2009

SkillsUSA students and teachers nationwide are asked to lend their technical expertise and leadership skills to help others during the SkillsUSA National Week of Service, scheduled for May 3-9, 2009. The annual event is conducted in honor of the May 8 anniversary of the founding of SkillsUSA. The SkillsUSA National Week of Service shines a spotlight on our dedication to serving others while showcasing the skills of career and technical education students who are learning to become tomorrow’s leaders.

 Many SkillsUSA chapters are already participating in local community service projects. What we ask is that you hold an event during the week of May 3-9. By coordinating hundreds of events to be held during the same week, SkillsUSA has the potential to command nationwide attention. 

 We’re offering a SkillsUSA gift item to all chapter advisors who send in a brief report on their community service activities held during May 3-9. They need to let us know in a paragraph or two about what their chapter did to help their community, and we’ll send them a gift to say thanks for keeping us informed. Reports are due by May 31. Digital photos are also encouraged with your report.

 For planning materials, go to www.skillsusa.org/events/service.shtml 

Please e-mail reports and photos of your community service efforts to Karen Perrino, SkillsUSA director of marketing, at kperrino@skillsusa.org. Please be sure to include your full name, school name and address, a daytime telephone number and all of the project details.

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Help Sign 100,000 Names to the Perkins Petition

April 1st, 2009

 

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and Participant Media have joined forces to advocate for Perkins funds. You can help by signing the petition and asking your friends and colleagues to sign today!

Over the past few years, the primary federal funding stream for career and technical education, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins), has been gradually decreased, despite increased student enrollments, equipment costs and need for skilled workers. 

To sign the petition and pass the word to call upon Congress to fund the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act at no less than $1.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2010, go to www.takepart.com/pressurecooker/petition2.php.

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