Important Dates
May 4-10: SkillsUSA National Week of Service
May 6: SkillsUSA National Signing Day
May 8: SkillsUSA’s 60th Anniversary
June 21-23: SkillsUSA Leverage Training, Atlanta
June 23-27: National Leadership & Skills Conference, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta
Aug. 5-8: State Director Association Professional Development and Training Conference, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Share Your SkillsUSA Signing Day with the Nation
SkillsUSA National Signing Day is May 6. This is the day when chapters celebrate our next generation of skilled professionals as they sign letters of intent to pursue a career or further education in the skilled trades. We are asking all states and local chapters to share their National Signing Day photos, videos and stories so we can highlight your events. Watch for coverage on the SkillsUSA website, e-newsletters and on social media. If you post on social media, use the hashtag #SkillsUSANationalSigningDay. SkillsUSA National Signing Day is sponsored by the Lowe’s Foundation, 3M, State Farm and NAPA.
New Career Opportunity at SkillsUSA
The SkillsUSA National Office has a career opportunity available. The Office of Member and Chapter Development is currently recruiting for an experienced Program Manager, Chapter Development Initiatives. This position supports member and chapter development initiatives and facilitates the completion of work as outlined in SkillsUSA’s strategic plan. This position requires a creative, self-motivated, detail-oriented individual who can handle and prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously. A strong motivation for teamwork and expertise with administrative detail is needed. The position works closely with others in the execution of chapter programming. For more information, see the complete position description and application instructions.
SkillsUSA’s National Week of Service
Giving back to the community is a huge part of SkillsUSA’s Program of Work, which guides chapters in developing an annual calendar of activities and experiences. To complement their service activities throughout the year, all SkillsUSA chapters are invited to plan, promote and conduct a community service project during the SkillsUSA National Week of Service on May 4-10, 2025.
State Director Crisis Contacts for NLSC
SkillsUSA collects cellphone numbers for state directors and their team to be used in case of emergency during the National Leadership & Skills Conference. Having up-to-date contacts is essential to the safety and well-being of all participants. Please email us your cellphone number or that of your designated state delegation leader. We would also like one or two other names and phone numbers of those who will serve as onsite contacts for your state. If you cannot be reached in the event of an emergency at NLSC, we will call the next person on your list. Be sure to keep your cellphone charged and on at all times at NLSC so you can be reached if the need arises. Email your crisis contacts to Jane Short at jsh...@skillsusa.org by June 1.
Got Story-Worthy Champions?
At the national conference, the SkillsUSA Champions digital magazine staff will be on the lookout for feature stories and interview subjects. If you know of a SkillsUSA student, advisor, industry representative or alumnus who will be at national conference and whose story is motivating and inspirational, please email SkillsUSA’s director of marketing and communications Clare Briner. A member of the communications team will then reach out to set up a specific interview time during the conference week. You can also stop by the Media Room in GWCC A-402 anytime to share your story ideas and contacts. Story ideas might include older or younger contestants, those with an interesting personal story, teachers or partners who were student members; entrepreneurs with an interesting business, or siblings, twins or triplets who are competing. We look forward to meeting and interviewing your champions!
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence Deadline
This Friday, May 2, is the application deadline for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. In 2025, Harbor Freight will award $1.5 million in cash prizes to 25 skilled trades teachers and their programs. Do you know an excellent high school skilled trades instructor who deserves to be recognized? Please encourage them to apply.
SkillsUSA Heritage Hub Debuts May 8
As we approach our 60th anniversary on May 8, SkillsUSA embarked on collecting and categorizing historic photos, videos and memorabilia for a digital collection. The SkillsUSA Heritage Hub will debut next week. We would love to add to our collection with interesting photos of state SkillsUSA directors and advisors from NLSC or other state or national conferences and events (especially any old photos). We would also love photos of VICA clothing, pin collections or other memorabilia. We cannot accept any physical items, but all photos are welcome for consideration. To share photos, submit them via Dropbox no later than July 1, 2025.
In addition to the Heritage Hub, we will also release a new SkillsUSA documentary which includes interviews with the four executive directors of SkillsUSA and others.
Leverage Student Scholarships Applications Close May 2
The Leverage Scholarship provides financial support for state officers to participate in SkillsUSA’s Leverage leadership training to be held in Atlanta, June 21-23 just prior to the National Leadership & Skills Conference. The scholarships are funded by former SkillsUSA board president and Caterpillar executive Robert L. Flint. State directors must submit applications for their scholarship candidates. The application deadline is Friday, May 2.
Email Solicitations Offering SkillsUSA Lists
Periodically, people affiliated with SkillsUSA receive emails from various companies trying to sell an attendee list from our conference or from SkillsUSA TECHSPO. These are NOT legitimate offers.
SkillsUSA never sells our attendee lists or email lists.
Offers claiming to sell these lists are fraudulent.
The people who send these messages are not affiliated with SkillsUSA.
Do not reply to these solicitations. We encourage you to report these messages as spam and delete them.
Due Dates
May
May 2: Leverage Scholarships applications due
May 2: Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence applications due
May 8: NLSC registration deadline
May 15: National Officer applications due
May 26: Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Travel Scholarship applications due
May 26: Hyundai Travel Grant applications due
May 30: Bob Westphal Memorial Scholarship applications due
May 30: SkillsUSA-Aerotek Make Your Mark Scholarships applications due
June
June 30: NAPA/SkillsUSA Transportation Repair Pathway Scholarship applications Due
July
July 1: Digital History Collection photos due
