New Student Research Foundation Report Highlights “The SkillsUSA Advantage”
SkillsUSA Contacts
Jane Short or Karen Kitzel
703-777-8810
jshort@skillsusa.org or
kkitzel@skillsusa.org
Leesburg, Va.— New research from the Student Research Foundation shows the majority of surveyed SkillsUSA members feel they are engaged in relevant career and technical education (CTE) coursework that prepares them for the future. This pattern holds true regardless of gender, race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. “The SkillsUSA Advantage” report is one of the first post-pandemic looks at students. The report demonstrates that SkillsUSA members nationwide experienced greater outcomes from participating in SkillsUSA and CTE programs.
- SkillsUSA members are more excited about school and have clearer plans than their CTE peers to pursue careers upon graduation from high school.
- Girls, students of color and students at low socio-economic schools all showed improved outcomes from participating in SkillsUSA while in a CTE classroom.
- Increasing access to SkillsUSA participation as a part of CTE is one way of increasing equity in educational outcomes.
“Expanding student access to SkillsUSA is a promising solution to meeting our nation’s future workforce needs while helping to close the skills gap that threatens economic growth,” said SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis. “The SkillsUSA Advantage report highlights the importance of removing barriers and closing gaps tied to gender, race and socioeconomic status to ensure that all potential members have an opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA.”
SkillsUSA state directors, advisors and partners are encouraged to download and share this new report:
The SkillsUSA Advantage
Source: Career Interest Survey by the Student Research Foundation administered in fall 2021. Analysis is based on responses of 27,686 CTE students in high school classrooms across the nation.
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of skilled trade positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s Championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has nearly 400,000 members nationwide in high schools, colleges and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations. SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. departments of education and labor as integral to career and technical education. It has served nearly 14.2 million members since 1965. For more information, visit:
www.skillsusa.org.
