To cap off the 2023-24 school year, a group of BOCES 2 Career and Technical Education students and instructors traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Eight WEMOCO students competed in six different competitions and an additional two students participated in leadership activities at the event, held June 26 and 27.
WEMOCO students who participated were: HVAC/Plumbing student Jordan Fleischer (Lake Ontario Baptist Academy); Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy student Payal Gajmer (Churchville-Chili); HVAC/Plumbing student Owen Donovan (Brockport); Food Services student Caleb Armour (Spencerport); Carpentry student Kyle Battaglia (Spencerport); Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy students Selki Wilson (Spencerport) and Savannah Wehner (Spencerport); Dental Assisting student Briana Lewis (Brockport); and Carpentry students Andrew Shurina (Churchville-Chili) and Joshua Ortiz (Spencerport).
The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world and covers 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres. Students were invited to the event to demonstrate their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in 115 hands-on occupational and leadership competitions including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. Industry leaders from 850 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. More than 1,200 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year.
All SkillsUSA Championships competitors were honored on Friday night, June 28, at the closing SkillsUSA Awards Session at State Farm Arena. As an indicator of proficiency, Skill Point Certificates were awarded to all national contestants who met a predetermined threshold contest score for their SkillsUSA event, demonstrating workplace readiness. Students can add this certificate to an employment portfolio.
The WEMOCO students who received Skill Point Certificates were: Briana Lewis (Brockport) in Dental Assisting; Owen Donovan (Brockport) in Plumbing; and Selki Wilson (Spencerport) in Medical Terminology.
“More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation participated in the 2024 SkillsUSA Championships,” said SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis. “This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates SkillsUSA at its finest. Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels. This program expands learning and career opportunities for our members.”
The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference. The national, nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry is a verified talent pipeline for America’s skilled workforce that is working to help solve the skills gap.
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