When it comes to career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) that deal specifically with the skilled trades, SkillsUSA is the largest in the United States.
SkillsUSA membership has reached the highest levels in our 58-year history, with more than 380,000 student and teacher members. The map below reflects the locations of the thousands of SkillsUSA chapters across the United States. Click the image for a closer look.
Red dots = high school chapters
Blue dots = college/postsecondary chapters
Green dots = middle school chapters
*includes middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions
There are currently 16 Career Clusters found in the National Career Clusters Framework, which serves as an organizing tool for career and technical education programs nationwide. Click the links below to reveal more information about each cluster, including which of SkillsUSA’s more than 100 career competitions are represented by a specific cluster and our industry sponsors for each cluster. Supporting one or more Career Clusters demonstrates a company’s direct support of and alignment with the work. Are you an industry representative? Learn more about how you can support SkillsUSA.
Designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing, and publishing multimedia content including visual and performing arts and design, journalism, and entertainment services.
SkillsUSA competitions in this cluster:
Careers in designing, planning, managing, building and maintaining the built environment.
Planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnology research and development.
Preparing individuals for employment in Career Pathways Showcase that relate to families and human needs such as counseling and mental health services, family and community services, personal care, and consumer services.
SkillsUSA competitions in this Cluster:
Building linkages in IT occupations for entry level, technical and professional careers related to the design, development, support and management of hardware, software, multimedia and systems integration services.
SkillsUSA competitions in this Cluster:
Planning, managing, and providing legal, public safety, protective services and homeland security, including professional and technical support services.
SkillsUSA competitions in this Cluster:
Leadership is not one of the 16 official career clusters that’s part of the National Career Cluster Framework, but it’s included here so that the wide variety of SkillsUSA competitions that are rooted in leadership may also be featured. These competitions celebrate skills like public speaking, organization, goal-setting and many others that can be applied to any career path.
SkillsUSA competitions in this area:
Planning, managing and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products and related professional and technical support activities such as production planning and control, maintenance and manufacturing/process engineering.
SkillsUSA competitions in this area:
Planning, managing and performing marketing activities to reach organizational objectives.
Planning, managing and providing scientific research and professional and technical services (e.g., physical science, social science, engineering) including laboratory and testing services, and research and development services.
Planning, management, and movement of people, materials, and goods by road, pipeline, air, rail and water and related professional support services such as transportation infrastructure planning and management, logistics services, mobile equipment and facility maintenance.
SkillsUSA competitions in this cluster: