Secretary of Education Tours SkillsUSA Championships in Louisville
Published: June 30, 2018
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was in Louisville on June 28, touring the SkillsUSA Championships with Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton.
SkillsUSA executive director Tim Lawrence hosted the walking tour of the national competition for the trio, who also met with students and business partners participating in the conference at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
“I know all of you in red blazers appreciate this gathering as an opportunity to share ideas, compete on the floor, take part in leadership workshops, network with peers and discuss ways to prepare all students for today’s and tomorrow’s careers,” said Secretary DeVos.
The 2018 conference included 102 contests to showcase a wide range of technical, service and health skills such as welding, culinary arts, cosmetology and nursing. The SkillsUSA Championships is the nation’s largest workforce development event for middle-school, high-school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in public career and technical education programs. With an estimated $36 million total value of industry-donated time, equipment, materials and prizes, the event is one of the largest single days of corporate volunteerism in America.
To hear the secretary’s reaction to seeing the SkillsUSA Championships, see below:
The one-year countdown to competition has begun as SkillsUSA initiates the process to field a team of talented young skilled trades experts to represent the United States at the 2024 WorldSkills Competition to be held Sept. 10-15 in Lyon, France.
SkillsUSA has once again teamed up with Tractor Supply Company (TSC), Tractor Supply Company Foundation and Carhartt for their annual “Support the Trades” campaign designed to raise awareness of the skilled trades while helping SkillsUSA close the skilled trades gap. Carhartt and TSC have an expanded this year’s “Support the Trades” line of shirts and hats from Carhartt to benefit SkillsUSA.
