• Putting the Commitment to Safety in Writing
• How Do You Due?

SkillsUSA Executive Director Tim Lawrence (left) and OSHA's Snare sign a historic partnership for safety.

SkillsUSA leads the pack again, becoming the first student organization ever to sign an alliance agreement with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

Through the alliance, SkillsUSA and OSHA will work together to offer teachers and students materials, expert guidance and access to training resources that will help keep our young workers safe and healthy on the job.

“It is important to educate our nation’s youngest workforce about safety and health hazards,” said Jonathan Snare, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. “The sooner they learn, the more aware they will be of hazards and ways to avert those hazards. A quality work experience is the result.” For more information on what to expect from this alliance, visit www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/skillsusa/skillsusa.html.

Is a better chance for a successful future worth an extra 50 cents to $1 per year? If you think so, that’s good — because, beginning with the 2006–07 school year, SkillsUSA national dues will rise by 50 cents per student member (from $7.50 to $8), and by $1 (from $13 to $14) per professional member.

In a time when the rising price of gas is top news, it’s easy to forget that the myriad costs of running an organization are also increasing. But consider this: Nearly 90 percent of SkillsUSA’s financial resources goes to student and teacher programs! SkillsUSA membership is still one of the best values around.