Every year our local skill vocational and trade schools hold a Job Skills USA competition. Students present a skill they have learned in their classes. I judge the competition every chance I get because it’s a learning opportunity for me.
The kids are so young. They seem younger every year (or is it that I am older every year?). They are sincere and dedicated. We are the second level so the competitors we see have already won at their local schools. The winners from this round will go on to the state competition. We judge just about everything – culinary skills (our favorite because sometimes the judges get to taste the product), construction skills, mechanics, electrical stuff, cosmetology.
Here are my favorite things about the competition:
- They dress neatly. There are no pants hanging below their ass. Even if they are demonstrating construction projects, they have neat, clean work clothes on. Wow! That already impresses me. (Do you ever get the urge to “pants” someone when their pants are hanging below the butt? It’s tempting but probably illegal.)
- They know their stuff. This year I learned about shark bite connections for plumbing (really cool!), how to repair drywall, important steps in making a professional club sandwich (did you know that chefs work to stay inside the bread edges?), and how to change the cord in a mower pull-start (really easy!). There were other demos but I already knew the subject. There was an electrical relay demo but that was all Greek to me.
- These kids give me a good feeling about life. There actually are young kids learning plumbing, electrical and other important skills. Sometimes we focus so hard on the “college” angle. We forget that as a society we need skills that don’t get done in an office. These jobs can pay better than what some of the college kids earn, especially when they can’t get a job in their field.
- I get to spend some time with some of my Toastmaster friends.
We judge their knowledge (do they know how to do it and do it well) and presentation skills (can they explain their skills well enough so an average person can “get it”). Some of them create elaborate displays. Some of them are funny and some are so nervous you want to put your arms around them and tell them it’s ok. The saddest part is that only one person can win. They are all so deserving. If you get a chance to be involved in this, grab that brass ring.
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
I’m so glad Joe got me involved in judging the competition. I love seeing the kids’ presentations–I would happily have watched a whole day’s worth instead of just a couple of hours. Looking forward to doing it again next Feburary!
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me too.
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What a great group to be involved in. Thanks for sharing about this.
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I need my mower pull cord replaced. Will you be able to do it for me now?
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Actually I can. It’s not really hard to do. I bet your Dad can do it fast.
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Kate: Thank you for your coverage and your wonderful insight regarding the SkillsUSA competitions. As the national executive director of SkillsUSA (and a former student whose life was changed for the better through a SkillsUSA competition many years ago), please know we appreciate the exposure and the passion you show for our “kids.” Annually, there are over 300,000 students involved in SkillsUSA nationwide. And, over 10 million have been involved in our 47 year history. They come from our technical education programs in high schools, community and technical colleges in all 50 states and three U.S, territories. Each of them is focused on a career pathway and they are bright, articulate students with a solid future. I applaud the support from the Lehigh Valley business community and the media as you all help our students showcase their skills and fulfill their dreams! You can learn more about SkillsUSA at http://www.skillsusa.org
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How great to see this positive post ! I’m a SkillsUSA alum, ran a state association , a regional business partnership and now I consult for the National Organization. It IS an amazing group of young people that really need the involvement of business folks in their comunity or the regional or state level in competitions. But there are SO many other ways to get involved too! Doing workshops for them on public speaking, job interview, networking, etc – go to SkillsUSA.org for the national website and in the directory you can find a link to the state director. Contact them if you’d like to get involved! And thanks again for the great post!!!
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Interesting post. What a great experience to be involved with.
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Oh, they’re definitely getting younger. 😉
This sounds really neat. Sounds like these kids are learning major skills that will help them when it’s time to enter the work world.
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I think I agree with you! They are getting younger every year!
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Neat story! Sounds like an interesting and fun time! Good for you for helping these kids out, as well. The trades can offer great careers, and it is easy to forget that.
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