IOWA LAKES STUDENTS ATTENDED SKILLSUSA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE
(Emmetsburg, Iowa) Caleb Robinson and Jacob Tuttle, two Iowa Lakes Community College students, attended the 58th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 20 to 24. The yearly national conference showcased state contest winners competing in their respective career, technical, and leadership divisions.
“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 the conference, Robinson (Iowa Falls, Iowa) and Tuttle (Spirit Lake, Iowa) utilized their technical skills to compete against the best competitors in the nation. Robinson placed fifth in Carpentry, and Tuttle placed fifteenth in Welding. In addition to competing, they also had opportunities to interact with business and industry representatives, hear from government officials, and attend educational sessions.
“Caleb rose to the occasion and represented not only Iowa Lakes but also the entire state of Iowa at this level, achieving a top 5 finish, which is an incredible result in this environment against the best of every state in the nation. As an advisor, watching Caleb achieve this is incredibly rewarding. I am proud of how much Caleb has grown here at Iowa Lakes,” added Menning.
The main contest days were June 22 and 23, with other days used for orientation, interviews, and written tests. The event concluded with a national awards ceremony.
“Being able to compete in something I am very passionate about was a fun experience. One of my favorite things to do on the job site is frame walls, which was the majority of the contest. The Iowa Lakes Construction Technology program helped me feel comfortable in the competition because of all the experience I have gained these past two years. I was honored to represent not only Iowa Lakes but the entire state of Iowa at the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta!” shared Robinson.
Iowa Lakes strives to teach the most up-to-date technologies and techniques while offering hands-on learning opportunities and internships to ensure graduates are ready to succeed in the workforce from day one.
To learn more about Iowa Lakes, visit iowalakes.edu.
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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 skills 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. We have served 13.9 million members since 1965. For more information on SkillsUSA, visit www.skillsusa.org.
