Executive Update: February 15, 2023

Important Dates
February: Career and Technical Education Month
March 1: National Membership Deadline
May 4: National Signing Day
May 8: SkillsUSA’s 58th Anniversary

Thanks for a Memorable SkillsUSA Week

Thanks for making SkillsUSA Week 2023 an inspiring success! State directors, please encourage your advisors to submit their SkillsUSA Week stories, photos, videos and activities to the national office, and we may shine a spotlight their way. In the meantime, visit our growing collection of photos from the week that are coming in from around the country. If your chapters went on advocacy visits, please ask them to send us a report using this form.

Remind Advisors to Register Members by March 1

State directors, please remind all advisors in your state that the SkillsUSA national membership deadline is March 1. Students must join by this date to be eligible for national competition, serve as voting delegates or run for national office. Professional membership provides valuable benefits, too. When advisors join, they receive access to a wealth of resources and professional development opportunities. The list of state dues and deadlines is available here and the Membership Quick Start Guide provides step-by-step instructions for joining members.

Snap-on Wants to Spotlight and Reward Makers and Fixers 

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. Entries in the giveaway gets carried over each month if they don’t win. Visit the official rules for more information.

Learn to Leverage “The SkillsUSA Advantage” Report

Join advisors and stakeholders on March 21 at 3:30 p.m. for a webinar on the new “SkillsUSA Advantage” report and learn how to articulate the report’s main findings: SkillsUSA experiences help create purpose, passion and skill in every student. 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 to help you share this information with school administrators, community leaders and others, including the full and condensed report in digital format and a PowerPoint deck. Register by March 19 and participate in the session to be eligible for door prizes.

Annual Corporation Forms Due March 15

It’s time for state SkillsUSA directors to complete the annual corporation form. This information is key to communicating with our corporation members throughout the year and preparing for the Annual Meeting of SkillsUSA Inc. in June. The deadline for submission to the Office of the Executive Director is March 15. Complete and submit the 2023 form here.

2022-23 Advisor of the Year Resources Available

This year’s Advisor of the Year (AOY) information and resources for state SkillsUSA directors are located on the State Association Gateway. There are two separate guides: one for state associations that will use the SkillsUSA Register site to collect and judge state-level AOY applications and the other for states that will select the AOY recipient using their own process and then submit a winner into the national AOY program. The deadline for state directors to submit their recipients is April 1. For questions, contact Laura Rauch.

State Awards Reminder for Advisor of the Year

SkillsUSA supplies state-level Advisor of the Year (AOY) awards at no charge to present at your state conferences. Each state may order an award for a secondary AOY and one for a college/postsecondary AOY. To order your “award, email Kim DeVenuto at the SkillsUSA Store. Awards are custom-produced and shipped from the manufacturer, so order early and allow three weeks for delivery. Be sure to include this information in your email: “SkillsUSA State Advisor of the Year Award” as the subject, the correct spelling of the name of the advisor to be honored, your state association, your shipping address (no P.O. boxes), and the date you need your award delivered. For questions, contact Laura Rauch.

State Director Updates

Vangie Casinas will no longer be serving as state director for SkillsUSA Hawaii. Christina Shioi will be acting as state director on an interim basis until the position is filled. In the meantime, Leisha Bento (whose title is now “state coordinator”) will also continue to perform state director duties. Also, please be sure to change the email address for Linda Randall, director of SkillsUSA Vermont, to lrandall@bsdvt.org. Linda does not have access to the previous SkillsUSA Vermont state director email address. The SkillsUSA website is kept current with the latest information.

Due Dates

March
March 1: National Education Team applications due
March 1: National Courtesy Corps applications due
March 1: SkillsUSA national membership deadline
March 1: Annual corporation forms due
March 3: SkillsUSA National Pin and T-shirt Design Challenge entries due
March 13: National Signing Day Registration Opens
March 15: Annual Corporation Forms due

April
April 1: President’s Volunteer Service Award applications due
April 1: State deadline to advance gold Chapter of Distinction applications for selection as Models of Excellence
April 1: SkillsUSA Master Scholarship applications due
April 1: Advisor of the Year state recipients due
April 3: NLSC Registration open
April 21: National Signing Day registrations due

May
May 1: Courtesy Corps Applications due
May 16: NLSC and Pre-NLSC (Activate, Leverage and Engage) registrations due
May 16: NLSC hotel reservations due
May 19: Confirm NLSC state hotel reservation block, if applicable
May 22: NLSC Travel Scholarship applications due

June
June 1: National Officer applications due
June 1: NLSC Request for Special Accommodations forms due

July
July 26: Student Research Foundation Scholarship applications due