Active Advisor News: December 2022
Chelle Travis Attends White House Event
SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis took a recent trip to the White House to celebrate a national call for partnerships to support a more inclusive infrastructure workforce. Read the story here.
Plan Ahead for SkillsUSA Week
SkillsUSA Week is Feb. 6-10, 2023, and you can participate in many ways: Honor your community supporters, connect with local business and industry professionals, or make a presentation about your CTE program and SkillsUSA chapter at a school board meeting. Plan activities that follow the daily schedule of events using the SkillsUSA Week Chapter Guide.
Promote SkillsUSA to Elected Officials and the Media
The SkillsUSA Advocacy Site offers a free way for members to contact their governors, state senators, representatives or members of Congress. Using the site can be a great chapter project or lesson plan that involves research, writing and advocating. You can also share SkillsUSA news with your local media and invite them to cover your events. To write to elected officials, use the “Compose Your Own Message” section. To email local newspapers or TV stations, choose the “Media” tab at the top of the webpage and send messages to six media outlets at a time.
The SkillsUSA Store Holiday Collection
Hats off to the holidays! Get ready for winter and shop the SkillsUSA Hats and Accessories collection, featuring both classic and on-trend caps, beanies and more. The SkillsUSA Store has everything from scripted luxe embroidery to custom patches, curved visors and cozy knit hats. These items make wonderful gifts for chapter officers, advisors, administrators and other SkillsUSA supporters.
SkillsUSA Technical Fridays Workshops
“SkillsUSA Technical Fridays” is a series of virtual workshops led by industry experts to help teachers develop technical skills relevant to their career fields. Leave the sessions with new knowledge to implement in the classroom. Learn more about the workshops here. On Dec. 9, from 4-5 p.m. ET, Arnaz Dotivala — a Virginia cosmetologist with 40 years of experience and a curriculum and instruction specialist — will share how to implement a formal project-based learning assignment to engage cosmetology students across various topics. Workshops are free but space is limited. Register here. If you have questions, contact Karolina Belen.
Honorary Life and Outstanding Educator Nominations Open
If you would like to nominate an individual for recognition by SkillsUSA as an Honorary Life Member or Outstanding Career and Technical Educator, please complete the online applications here. The deadline is Feb. 15. If you have questions, contact Laura Rauch.
New SkillsUSA Master Scholarship Application Now Open
SkillsUSA scholarships are available to both high school and college/postsecondary students, and both can now apply for multiple opportunities by completing a single application. Eligibility criteria for each scholarship is noted on the application. The SkillsUSA master scholarship is open until April 1, 2023, and is available here. For SkillsUSA scholarship resources, including a guide on how to submit a quality application, visit the SkillsUSA website scholarships page. If you have questions, contact Megan Flinn.
Earn Recognition and Presidential Honors
At the 2023 National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC), SkillsUSA will recognize advisors, students and registered alumni for their community service through the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). To qualify, SkillsUSA members, advisors or alumni must submit a record of their service hours. With SkillsUSA’s focus on community service, you may have already met the requirements. For details on how to apply, visit the website. Applications must be received by April 1 for recognition at the 2023 NLSC.
Advisors: Print Membership Cards Instantly
The SkillsUSA registration site allows advisors to print student or professional membership cards as members join. Schools can print individual cards one per page or print multiple professional cards to a single page using the batch print option. Card printing is available when advisors log on to the membership registration website.
AmazonSmile Purchases Benefit SkillsUSA
Support SkillsUSA as your charity of choice while shopping through Amazon this holiday season. To order purchases through AmazonSmile, search for “SkillsUSA Inc.” or visit this link. AmazonSmile donates a percentage of all purchases made through this link directly to SkillsUSA.
Show Us What You Made … and What You’re Made Of!
SkillsUSA wants to showcase the great accomplishments our members make every day as skilled workers and leaders, and that’s what the #MadeInSkillsUSA social media campaign is all about. We’re asking members to share photos on social media that highlight their accomplishments. The photos can represent something members made with their hands (a construction project, a graphic, a hairstyle, a culinary creation, etc.) or a personal achievement earned through SkillsUSA (landing a job or internship, delivering a speech, leading a meeting, etc.). To participate, simply post a photo with the hashtag #MadeInSkillsUSA. Learn more here. For questions, contact Hayley Uffelman, SkillsUSA’s social media manager.
Seeking “Straight-Out-of-High-School” Success Stories
SkillsUSA Champions magazine wants to feature success stories about members who embarked on successful skilled trades careers directly out of high school or had their postsecondary education paid for as a result of their SkillsUSA membership. If you know SkillsUSA graduates who fit this description, please contact us. If your graduates went to work for a SkillsUSA partner, we’d love to hear about that, too. Please send a brief description of your graduate to Office of Communications Associate Director Karen Kitzel.
