State Tech will host the SkillsUSA Missouri Leadership and Skills Conference April 7-9 as the event returns to the Linn campus for the first time since before the pandemic.

“We are very pleased to welcome SkillsUSA back,” said State Tech President Dr. Shawn Strong. “This is a great opportunity for high school and college students from across the state to compete in a wide variety of fields.”

During the contests, students will work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics,  computer-aided drafting, precision machining, automotive service, medical assisting, and culinary arts. All contests are conducted with the help of industry experts, trade associations, and labor organizations, testing competencies that are set to industry standards.

First-place winners will go on to compete in the national SkillsUSA Championships this June in Atlanta, Ga.

“SkillsUSA is considered a talent pipeline and a vital solution to the demand for a skilled workforce,” said Missouri SkillsUSA Director Christy McElwain. “Jobs are available right here in our state; they are waiting for people with the necessary skills. Those people are graduating from career and technical education (CTE) programs. We are very proud of these champions at work for their dedication to excellence in their trades and their leadership skills.”

SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges, and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education.

More than 650 corporations, trade associations, businesses, and labor unions actively support SkillsUSA at the national level. 

Programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics, and SkillsUSA offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials.

For more information, please visit skillsusamo.org.