WorldTeam in Washington
Visits to the Dept. of Labor, the Canadian Embassy, Dept. of Education, Sen. Enzi's office and the U.S. Capitol.

The SkillsUSA World Team boarded a flight to Calgary from Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C. Saturday morning. We had a great day with the team in our nation’s capitol on Friday.

The SkillsUSA World Team students were in DC on Thursday evening to participate in a night tour of the monuments. Friday was a full day of recognition activities for the team. We traveled to the Departments of Education, Labor and the U.S. Senate. The students were recognized by the Under Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education, the Director of the Workforce Investment System at the United States Department of Labor and by Senator Mike Enzi's office at the U.S. Capitol. The students also had an appointment at the Canadian Embassy where they received an orientation to the geography and culture of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In every location, the students demonstrated a high level of professionalism and skill.

It was a great day and the students were able to articulate their commitment to world-class skills training and their passion for education to all the government leaders they encountered. I was really impressed with how much they were able to influence the attitudes of the officials in DC. In fact, at both the labor and education agencies, this was the first exposure the new Obama appointees have had with career and technical education students. I think they may have learned a lot from the kids!

The SkillsUSA World Team is excited and ready to represent the USA in World Skills Competition against 50 other countries. I know they will represent SkillsUSA very well.

The opening ceremony is Tuesday, September 1. The competitions begin on Wednesday, September 2 and conclude on Saturday, September 5.