26 June 2009
SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference and Championships
By WorldSkills International
The 2009 SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference and Championships was the largest in its 45 year history. More than 5,000 contestants competed in 91 contests at venues across Kansas City, Missouri, one of which is larger than 15 American football fields long. The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for secondary and postsecondary technical students enrolled in trade, technical, and skilled service profession, instructional programs and health occupations. All of the SkillsUSA Championships competitors are gold medal winners at the State level.
Thousands more teachers, delegates, team members, and others braved the almost 40 degree Celsius temperatures to attend the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference which was held from June 23-26, 2009. Representatives from WorldSkills International and WorldSkills London 2011 visited the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference and Championships and attended various meetings and events during the three days.
The next international skills competition (WorldSkills Calgary 2009) is being held from Sept 1-7, 2009 in Calgary, Canada and will bring together the top young skilled champions from 45 countries in 45 categories. Selected USA champions will participate and test their skills against the best young champions across the globe. The following WorldSkills Competition (a biennial event) will be hosted in
London in October 2011.
"I was very impressed by many aspects of the 2009 SkillsUSA National Conference and Championships. I am delighted to see that the SkillsUSA approach to the development and promotion of skilled trades, technology and the service industry is as a ‘skills movement’ much like the approach taken by WorldSkills International. We at WorldSkills London 2011 look forward to working with our colleagues in the United States to foster a large and formidable group of American competitors at the 2011 Competition," said Simon Barley, CEO of WorldSkills London 2011.
The SkillsUSA Conference also included the TECHSPO trade show which included 150 exhibits. Visitors to WorldSkills International’s TECHSPO display booth were excited to learn more about WorldSkills International and the potential to compete in the WorldSkills Competition. There were also more than 80 different seminars presented during the conference as well as outdoor displays, live music, NASCAR teams, big air motorcycle jumping, a Five Kilometre long foot race for SkillsUSA Alumni and much more.
Eleven thousand people attended the Opening Ceremony which was held in the Kemper Arena and 7000 others watched the live internet stream.
Click here to watch a replay of the Opening and Closing Ceremony.