Building the future, one skill at a time

By Lauren White.

Students, teachers and industry leaders come together at Oregon SkillUSA to inspire the next generation.

What do a builder, a coder, a leader and an artist have in common? Skills. And they were on full display at the Oregon SkillsUSA state competition in April. This two-day competition held at Knife River National Training Center in Albany, Oregon, determines which students will advance to the national competition June 23-27 in Atlanta, Georgia. Having already competed at a regional level, these students have refined their skills and are competing amongst their peers in one of more than 130 skills ranging from masonry, cosmetology and carpentry to photography, robotics and prepared speech.  

Having attended the national competition last year to report on the roofing competition, I was eager to see more students showcase their skills in my home state. Chuck Young, Oregon SkillsUSA director, shared that there are 175,000 students enrolled in CTE in Oregon. Of those, 750 students were in Albany competing in 86 skills, which is 150 more students than last year. The hope is to build on this momentum and continue to grow the state competition to highlight even more skills (roofing included) and get more students involved. Roofing was one of the skills featured in last year’s competition, with a student from Oregon advancing to the national level. Opportunities like these depend on strong industry support and dedicated volunteers, which is why there’s hope to bring roofing back to the competition lineup next year.  

I’ve found that SkillsUSA is a lot like roofing, once you’re involved, it's hard to leave. And that rings true based on the conversations I had with Kimberly Herder, Board of Champions for Oregon SkillsUSA, Jason Blackwell, founder and owner of ActivateCTE, and Daniel Langston, vocational tech teacher for engineering/manufacturing at Eagle Point High School and SkillsUSA advisor as a tech chair.

Through these conversations, I gained some valuable insights into their journey to SkillsUSA and what keeps them coming back every year, besides the amazing students.

Jason Blackwell - If you get involved, you will change lives

Jason, the founder of ActivateCTE, which helps various educational institutions “enhance their CTE programs by providing services such as curriculum development, professional development, program evaluation, industry partnerships and more.” SkillsUSA is one of the programs Jason helps support. And his expertise? Building relationships. He shared, “I make sure the business and industry and educational gap are as minimal as possible. We have students, we have job needs and we have educational needs. So the business and industry tell us what we should be teaching these students to be able to maintain jobs and get certifications... We try to make friendships and partnerships that way we can make our community grow.”

Part of that relationship building involved showing me around the different competitions – both on and off site – and introducing me to educators, industry professionals and other key players who make this event happen every year. Many skills were taking place on site at the Knife River National Training Facility, but there were a number of other skills that needed different facilities to accommodate the space, materials and tools the students needed, such as welding, automotive, culinary and carpentry, among others. Linn-Benton Community College opened their doors for the competition and judging.

Between getting a tour of the welding facility at Linn-Benton, prepping automotive industry professionals for the competition on Saturday and visiting the carpentry competition – and meeting a local construction technology teacher – Jason shared what SkillsUSA means to him as an instructor in Alabama. “We build great leaders, and it really takes the academics and puts them into a perspective that students can understand... I think SkillsUSA really brings out the leadership component in students and academia.”

When academics are brought to life through practical experience, students begin to understand their own potential — and that starts with support from those in the field. “Get involved in your local schools that have chapters of SkillsUSA, because we cover so many components. If you can get involved with your school, you will change lives,” Jason shared. “They are some outstanding students. I really feel like they have more potential than we really give them credit for these days - you saw firsthand that some of these students are building robots, they're building houses. So just because they don't process things like we process things that doesn’t mean they can't do it, so give them a chance."

Kimberly Herder – Becoming a better person every day

Kimberly Herder is on the Board of Champions for Oregon SkillsUSA. She was first introduced to SkillsUSA through a previous position with a curriculum company that oversaw STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) education. “It was part of my job description to be involved and on the Board of Champions of SkillsUSA to validate both curriculum and how programs could be taught within a classroom environment, but also then work into a competition,” she shared.

“I think one of the great things about SkillsUSA and other CTSO organizations for students is that you can get better at something, or you can try things out without having an academic test,” she shared. It's a competitive environment, but it's not graded. It's a team experience, because you're with other kids from your school or people from your school, it relaxes people.” The skills these students are competing in are directly applied to the “real-world” that we always hear about in school.  

“When students are taking skills that are needed in the real world, versus just doing the math, it changes their mindset from, ‘Okay, I just have to get my assignment done,’ to, ‘Okay, I'm doing the math to build something that's useful and something that's exciting to do,’” Kimberly explained. “For some people, it makes more sense to actually see what A plus B equals C looks like when you're cutting a piece of wood or whatever it is that you're doing, so it flips the traditional education model in letting people breathe into an activity instead of having to look at it from the academic side first. You can start developing those skills both in and outside the classroom.”

That hands-on, joyful learning reflects a larger belief that Kimberly holds close: “If what you're doing isn't fun or at least pleasurable, you're either doing it wrong or somebody's teaching you wrong, because life shouldn't be that way.” It’s a philosophy that resonates deeply in the SkillsUSA environment, where students are encouraged to find passion and confidence in their work.

Having been involved with SkillsUSA for 12 years, Kimberly continues to learn from the students and grow in her role. She shared, “I feel like I'm a kid in the sense that I am constantly learning from them, and I know I'm becoming a better person every day. I think it surprises me how much true joy it brings and just seeing the joy in that.”

Daniel Langston – The most rewarding experience  

As a retired engineer, Daniel decided to rejoin the workforce as a teacher, finding his niche at Eagle Point High School and as a SkillsUSA advisor. And after 10 years as a tech chair, he’s still here, supporting and inspiring students. “The advisor part is bringing up all students that are qualified to come up. We expose them to up to 150 different competitions to participate in. As a tech chair, I come up, I coordinate, I set up, I bring the materials, I align the judges to do the judging criteria and score sheets.” Having 52 students on-site competing, Daniel was busy checking in with students to make sure they were prepared for their competitions, finding sewing kits to repair buttons on the signature SkillsUSA blazers, and answering all of my questions about the competition.  

Daniel’s favorite part about SkillsUSA? “To watch all of the kids' reactions to their success. That's pretty special.” And we got to see that first-hand during the awards ceremony when several Eagle Point High students won gold and will advance to Nationals. He shared, “This by far is the most rewarding experience that any human being could have.”

Student perspective – Just do it

Right before the awards ceremony, I had the pleasure of speaking with two students from Eagle Point High School, Olivia, a junior competing in robotics urban search and rescue, and Isabella, a senior competing in t-shirt and pin design. When asked what people should know about SkillsUSA, Olivia shared, “There are so many options to compete in. It is CTE based, but there’s more than just fabrication and technology.”  

I think Isabella said it best, “Just do it! There’s something for everyone. Everyone has something that they can excel at here, so I think everyone should at least try it out.” Her advice, while directed at students, applies to industry professionals too. The SkillsUSA community has so much heart and passion for introducing the next generations to the vast array of skills available and necessary for the future. Whether you get involved directly with SkillsUSA, volunteer at a school near you, or simply attend a state competition, I can speak from experience that you won’t regret it.

See you in Atlanta!