SEVERAL SKCTC STUDENTS WIN BIG AT REGIONAL SKILLS COMPETITION

CUMBERLAND, Ky. After an extended absence, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC) rejoined the Skills USA organization this year. SkillsUSA allows students in technical programs to showcase their skills and learn from others already trained in the trade.

Several students from area high schools who take classes at SKCTC, along with current SKCTC students participated in this years regional competition, held on Wednesday, March 9th at the Bell County Area Technology Center. 19 students won awards in the welding, precision machine technology, HVAC, automotive technology, sheet metal and diesel technology categories at the competition.

Eight of those students, those who won first place honors in their categories, will now move on to the state tournament in Louisville. That event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on April 13th through the 16th.

Ron Daniels, the Chair of the Industrial Technology department at SKCTC, said the competition and the SkillsUSA organization helps students hone their skills and get them ready for the workforce once they complete their respective programs.

Im very proud of our students and their accomplishments. Daniels said. They work hard at their craft and these awards let them know that their preparation is paying off.

SKCTC President Dr. Lynn Moore echoes Daniels sentiment and said she is excited about the upcoming state competitions.

I am so very proud of Ronnie Daniels and his team for working so hard to bring SkillsUSA back to Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. SkillsUSA offers a great opportunity for both our high school students and college students to demonstrate their expertise in their respective technical areas of interest and study. Kentuckians love to compete and SkillsUSA offers our students the opportunity to compete on a regional and national stage. Moore said. The reality is that SkillsUSA is about building important partnerships between our students, our college, our communities, and business and industry. The students successes clearly demonstrate not only their hard work and sacrifice, but is a clear testament to the intense technical knowledge, skills and passion for teaching of all our technical instructors. We all wish them luck as they continue to advance in the competition.

According to the Skills USA website, the organization has 13,000 school chapters and more than 14,500 instructors and administrators are part of the group.

You can see an album with pictures from the regional competition on the Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College Facebook page.



Photo caption: Several SKCTC students, at both the high school and college level, recently won big at the regional SkillsUSA competition, held March 9th at the Bell County Area Technology Center