by Adria Salvatore, AWFS® Education Director
AWFS® has been an enthusiastic supporter of SkillsUSA for a decade now, and in honor of #SkillsUSA week (Feb 8-12, 2021), I would like to share some of the reasons why we believe in SkillsUSA, and some ideas on how you can get involved with SkillsUSA:
1. SkillsUSA serves students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. This strengthens 
our industry’s future workforce by encouraging students to learn more about career options. SkillsUSA is a national Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO), which means that students join a SkillsUSA chapter at their school site. The chapter supports students in the different Career Technical Education (CTE) sectors that are taught at their school. CTE sectors may include woodworking, construction, manufacturing, culinary arts, medical careers, and many more. There are SkillsUSA chapters in middle schools, high schools, and post secondary schools on thousands of campuses throughout the U.S., and nearly 400,000 SkillsUSA student and advisor (educator) members nationwide.
2. Students interact with SkillsUSA through skill competitions, an exciting way for students to showcase and test their knowledge and abilities in their skilled trades area. AWFS® supports the SkillsUSA CA Cabinetmaking and Introductory Woodworking competitions, where students complete a timed, live build. AWI runs the national Cabinetmaking competition, and other associations and companies within our industry support competitions at their state level. In this way, we can introduce industry standards and practices to students in a fun and challenging way.
3. Beyond skill competitions, SkillsUSA emphasizes the importance of personal and employability skills. It’s not just about technical/trade skills! We know that you, employers, need a workforce with a strong work ethic, including traits like accountability, professionalism, responsibility, and problem-solving skills. Many employers will contend that the trade skills can be taught, while the employability skills must be there from Day One. Through tools like the Framework and Career Essentials curriculum, SkillsUSA is a valuable partner in helping your future employees be ready for Day One at your company.
4. SkillsUSA provides a meaningful way for us (industry) to directly interact with students and advisors (educators). We don’t have many opportunities to interact with students. Likewise, educators are busy and at best, we hear from them at quarterly advisory committee meetings. SkillsUSA provides a common ground where industry and education can work together and interact with one another. The opportunity to talk with students and get to know them, their aspirations, and interests, is invaluable. And connecting with educators can be the start of a long-lasting partnership of supporting a school program!
5. SkillsUSA is FUN! Most volunteers and sponsors who attend a SkillsUSA conference or competitive event leave feeling impressed and enthusiastic. I often hear “Wow, I didn’t realize how talented these students would be!” or “These students are so professional and respectful!” While it’s a lot of hard work in a busy day, most everyone has a great time at SkillsUSA events — most importantly the students!
1. Connect! Each state has it’s own SkillsUSA organization. You can find them by Googling “SkillsUSA” + your state’s name. This is a list of all SkillsUSA State Directors – reach out to your state’s director and ask how you and your company can get involved.
2. Volunteer! In California, the competition projects are developed by industry volunteers, and the competitive skill events are organized, run, and judged by industry volunteers. It’s a fun and generally “easy” way to 
participate: most state events have 4-6 hour contests. Your state may have additional opportunities to volunteer! Check out these SkillsUSA CA Cabinetmaking State Contest plans as an example of the student expectations and requirements.
3. Sponsor! Most states hold an annual state conference where live competitive events take place and an awards ceremony where prizes are awarded. Corporate sponsors can donate prizes, or sponsor a contest or other aspects of the conference. There could also be an opportunity to sponsor your local school chapter These options also exist at the national SkillsUSA level. You can see statewide SkillsUSA CA woodworking contest sponsors on this page.
4. Donate! Do you have tools that you could provide to students for competitions, or to give as prizes? Do you have wood material or supplies that students can use for practicing the competition, or a significant amount that contest organizers could use for the competition?
5. Promote! If you are already familiar with or engaged with SkillsUSA, spread the word! Feb 8-12 is #SkillsUSAWeek, and February is #CTEMonth, so this is a perfect time to post about how great SkillsUSA is and encourage other companies to get involved!
SkillsUSA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skillsusa/
SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skillsusacabinetmaking/
SkillsUSA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkillsUSACabinetmaking
SkillsUSA Company Page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skillsusa/
SkillsUSA on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SkillsUSAOfficial
If you have questions or comments or would like to share your own SkillsUSA story, contact Adria@awfs.org