Active Advisor News: February 2023
SkillsUSA Week Inspires Across the Nation
Last week, chapters across the country engaged in experiences that honored their community supporters, connected with local business and industry professionals and shared SkillsUSA with their administrators. See how the SkillsUSA national officers and executive director Chelle Travis spent their week! We encourage you to share your SkillsUSA Week stories, photos or links with the SkillsUSA headquarters and we just may feature your chapter on the SkillsUSA Champions digital hub and our social media. The SkillsUSA Advocacy Site has a template to help you promote your activities to the media. Finally, if your chapter conducted advocacy visits during the week, use this form to let us know! Thanks for being SkillsUSA champions every day, every week, of the year!
Register Members by March 1
The SkillsUSA national membership deadline is March 1. Student members must register by the national deadline to be eligible to participate in national competitions; serve as voting delegates; run for national office; participate in national programming; or apply for scholarships, awards and honors. The list of state dues and deadlines is here and the Membership Quick Start Guide will walk you through the member registration process. If you need assistance registering your members, call the SkillsUSA Customer Care Team toll free at 844-875-4557 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Tuesday and Thursday. You can also send an email to customercare@skillsusa.org.
Plan Now for SkillsUSA National Signing Day on May 4
On May 4, SkillsUSA National Signing Day will celebrate high school seniors and college/postsecondary students who have chosen to pursue careers as professionals in the skilled trades. SkillsUSA chapters are encouraged to host a signing day event and invite business partners, school administrators, teachers, elected officials, SkillsUSA alumni, family and friends to honor graduating seniors as they sign “letters of intent” for a job offer, apprenticeship or advanced technical training. Registration opens March 13 and closes April 21.
Registered participants will be eligible for the following:
- Students can apply to receive a $1,000 scholarship (25 to be awarded).
- Signing Day supply bundles valued at $500 each will be given to 10 schools (school must register five or more students to be eligible).
- First 500 registrants receive Signing Day baseball caps.
- First 250 advisors who register five or more students receive a $50 Lowe’s gift card.
- Ten Step-and-Repeat Banners with the SkillsUSA logo, the Signing Day logo and the school name will be given away (schools must register five or more students to be eligible).
- Signing Day grants of $250 will be awarded to 50 schools to enhance the chapter’s Signing Day experience.
Advisors, a digital toolkit of resources to help plan your chapter event and details on how to apply for the incentives will be posted on the Signing Day webpage soon.
Are You a “Maker and Fixer?” Snap-on Wants to Spotlight You
SkillsUSA industry partner Snap-on is shining a spotlight on the Makers and Fixers who keep the world moving. They seek stories about skilled people who work with their hands in the essential industries that focus on transportation — in the air, in the automotive shops or on the roads and rails. Future, past or present Makers and Fixers are invited to share their personal stories or nominate someone they admire. To share your story, visit the Share Your Story page, write about yourself and upload a few photos of you working on a project. Follow @MakersandFixers to see if your story is shared. All eligible stories are entered into a drawing, and two stories are picked each month to win a prize valued up to $600. If you don’t win, don’t worry — your entry in the giveaway gets carried over each month. Visit the official rules for more information.
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
Please join us for upcoming Professional Development offerings. Completion certificates are provided for each participant. Learn more on our online training calendar. Advisors can also access this Google Doc to learn how to use their professional membership benefits. A PDF of the 2022-23 Professional Development Opportunities is available here. For questions, contact Karolina Belen.
Learn to Leverage “The SkillsUSA Advantage” Report
Join other advisors and stakeholders on March 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET for a webinar on the new “SkillsUSA Advantage” report, and learn how to articulate that SkillsUSA experiences help create purpose, passion and skill in every student. SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Ricardo Romanillos will review “The SkillsUSA Advantage” report recently released by the Student Research Foundation and discuss how SkillsUSA members consistently outperform peers who are not enrolled in career and technical student organizations (CTSOs). Attendees will receive resources including two digital reports plus a PowerPoint deck to help you share this information with school administrators, community leaders and others as you advocate for SkillsUSA and career and technical education. Register by March 19 and participate in the session to be eligible for door prizes.
Take Up the Challenge! NLSC Pin and T-shirt Design
SkillsUSA is offering the 2023 National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) Pin and T-shirt Design Challenge to all students who are registered as members by March 1. The winning designs will become the official T-shirt and pin design for the 2023 NLSC. Entries are due by March 3 at 12 a.m. ET, and winners will be announced on March 10. Rules and submission links can be found on the SkillsUSA website.
Earn Recognition and Presidential Honors
SkillsUSA will recognize advisors, students and registered alumni for their community service through the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). To qualify, SkillsUSA members 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.
Learn the Essential Elements in the SkillsUSA Framework Integration Toolkit
The Framework Integration Toolkit has everything you need to ensure career readiness within your classroom, training program and chapter. The guide — “Experiential Activities to Promote the SkillsUSA Framework” — contains activities to provide students with experiences that illustrate the Framework’s 17 Essential Elements. These activities can be used for reflection and determining their application to the real world. Professional members can access the Toolkit in SkillsUSA Absorb.
One Application for SkillsUSA Scholarships
SkillsUSA students can now apply for multiple scholarships by completing just one SkillsUSA scholarship application. Most scholarships are available to both high school and college/postsecondary members. Eligibility criteria for each scholarship is noted on the application so that students know which ones they can receive. The SkillsUSA scholarship application is open until April 1. Separately, SkillsUSA students can apply for the Sharon Melton Myers Scholarship until April 1 or the Student Research Foundation (SRF) Community Contribution Scholarship until July 26. For scholarship resources and tips on how to submit a quality application, visit the scholarships page on the website. If you have questions, contact Megan Flinn.
SkillsUSA National Officer Candidates Sought
Becoming a SkillsUSA national officer is the ultimate personal growth and student leadership experience within SkillsUSA, and the 2023-24 National Officer Program Guide and application are now available. Before filling out the application, please review the guide, as it has a wealth of information on the certifications and Career Essentials coursework candidates must complete before applying. All national officer applications are due by June 1 at 6 p.m. ET.
Fundraising for Spring Travel
Many chapters think about fundraising in the spring to support upcoming state or national conference travel. One fundraiser that’s easy and delicious is Country Meats. They offer over 12 flavors of smoked snack sticks that can earn your chapter 50% profit. They also offer free samples so you can taste the quality before ordering. Use the code 10OffNew at checkout to save 10% off your first order. Visit Country Meats or call 800-277-8989 for more information.
