IOWA LAKES STUDENT TAKES THIRD IN NATIONAL SKILLS COMPETITION

July 25, 2023
Wayde

(Emmetsburg, Iowa) Wayde Coffey, an Iowa Lakes Community College sophomore from Carbondale, Illinois, demonstrated excellence at the 2023 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, this June, earning third place in the college-level Motorcycle Service Technology division.

“This is the world’s largest skill competition, with over 6,000 competitors in 108 different areas of competition. Making it to nationals is an outstanding achievement in and of itself,” explained Corey Menning, Construction Technology Assistant Professor at Iowa Lakes. “I am so proud of all the competitors from Iowa Lakes and how well they did in their competitions as well as how they represented Iowa!”

Four Iowa Lakes Community College students and two Iowa Lakes Career Academy high school students put their industry knowledge and hands-on technical skills to the test at nationals in the categories below earning the following places:

  • Motorcycle Service Technology College

Third Place: Wayde Coffey

  • Motorcycle Service Technology High School

Fourth Place: Emmetsburg High School student Brice Rooney

  • Power Equipment Service Technology College

Sixth Place: Dylan Short from Cherokee, Iowa

  • Power Equipment Service Technology High School

Twenty-Second Place: Graettinger-Terril High School student Zach Borchers

  • Marine Service Technology College

Eighth Place: Hunter Welch from Hubbard, Iowa

  • Carpentry

Seventeenth Place: Javen Shopp from Parker, Colorado

At the conference, students utilized their technical skills to compete against the best of the best competitors in the nation. Qualifying for nationals requires making a podium finish at a state-level competition ensuring only the most talented students can earn national recognition by competing in career, technical, and leadership divisions.

At Iowa Lakes, high school students can attend Career Academy to learn real-world skills in high-demand occupations. Iowa Lakes students can earn degrees, diplomas, and certificates while gaining hands-on training, classroom learning, and high-demand technical skills.

Iowa Lakes and Career Academy students perform well in SkillsUSA competitions due to the specialized training incorporated into every facet of learning. Iowa Lakes and Career Academy graduates are ready to start in-demand careers with the skills needed for success.

To learn more about career and technical programs at Iowa Lakes, please visit iowalakes.edu/academics.

SkillsUSA:

SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools teach relevant technical skills. In addition, with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has members nationwide in high schools, colleges, and middle schools, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. SKillsUSA has served 13.9 million members since 1965.

PHOTO CAPTION 1: Wayde Coffey (Carbondale, Illinois), sophomore at Iowa Lakes Community College earns third place in the college level Motorcycle Service competition at 2021 SkillsUSA national Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Posted in News