New Initiative Empowers Hundreds of Students Through Immersive Training, Tools and Travel Grants

SkillsUSA Contact:
Clare Briner
cbriner@skillsusa.org

LEESBURG, Va. — February 18, 2026 — For many aspiring trade professionals, the path from the classroom to a career isn’t blocked by a lack of talent, but by the high cost of opportunity. Today, a major social impact initiative is bridging that gap, ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent the nation’s most promising students from reaching the national stage.

The Bosch Community Fund, the corporate foundation for Bosch in North America, is collaborating with SkillsUSA in support of SkillsUSA students and state associations. Bosch is providing essential travel grants, state conference support, tools for competitions, and sponsorship for a first-of-its-kind immersive construction experience at the National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC). NLSC, the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce, is held June 1-5 in Atlanta.

“A student’s potential should never be limited by their financial circumstances,” said Chelle Travis, Executive Director of SkillsUSA. “By focusing on social impact and removing the ‘distance barrier’ to our national conference, Bosch Community Fund is helping us build a more equitable and diverse workforce.”

The Bosch collaboration with SkillsUSA is designed to support increased access to high-level career development opportunities for SkillsUSA students. “Immersive Experience: Construction” is a high-impact, three-day program blending career exploration with applied learning across today’s most in-demand construction fields. It is also supported by the Lowe’s Foundation.

Travel grants provided by Bosch Community Fund will help to reduce a student’s cost to attend NLSC, eliminating barriers to participation in the immersive experience, which places SkillsUSA members inside real-world construction scenarios. Guided by industry professionals, the experience will help students build confidence, clarify career goals and strengthen job readiness.

In addition to national support, the funding is being deployed across several SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conferences. This grassroots investment helps state associations to lower participation costs and upgrade the quality of their local competitions, creating a stronger pipeline of talent at the community level.

“The Bosch Community Fund is dedicated to supporting the communities where our employees live and work,” said Kent Hung, Executive Director of the Bosch Community Fund. “By providing the resources for students to travel, compete and learn through immersive experiences, we are investing in the individuals who will quite literally build our future.”

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students, empowering them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. SkillsUSA represents more than 444,000 career and technical education students and teachers in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. Those members represent 130 in-demand occupational areas, from 3-D animation to welding. A vital solution to the skills gap, SkillsUSA has served over 15 million members since its founding in 1965. Learn more at skillsusa.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

About Bosch Community Fund

The Bosch Community Fund, the corporate foundation for Bosch in North America, was established in 2011 to provide community engagement and philanthropic support on behalf of the company.  By awarding grants to various 501(c)(3) organizations and educational institutions across 39 Bosch site locations, the Fund promotes the enrichment of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and advancing environmental sustainability initiatives.