On a late June afternoon, a sea of teenagers wearing white hard hats hammer nails into wooden two-by-four planks to see who can build the better mini house at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Despite the loud noise and hurried pace, the students still manage to stay focused on their tasks.
The students are just a few of the thousands of students, instructors and faculty from across the country who attended the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, which was held in Atlanta from June 24 to June 26.
“I like to call it our Super Bowl of the year,” said Ashley Acuff, executive director for SkillsUSA Georgia. “The earlier we start them in learning all these different trades, the more successful they’ll be.”
Some students spend all year preparing for the SkillsUSA State Championships, where they compete against each other in different disciplines, such as carpentry and plumbing.
“In Georgia and construction, specifically, we need about 10,000 new workers right now … if every person on the floor right now raised their hand and said I want to go to work in construction, we could find a good job for them.”
Scott Shelar, president and CEO – Construction Ready
The championships are also the perfect foundation for cementing the benefits of vocational work for students who may struggle to afford college.
“I feel like people look down on vocational work a lot, and as college becomes more and more expensive, it’s becoming an option for more and more people,” said Jackie Allen, a Massachusetts high school student who hopes to one day run her own construction company.
The tools learned by the students at SkillsUSA will also give them the opportunity to give back to their communities, added 18-year-old Arizona student Cesar Lescas, who competed in heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
“I come from a whole poor family, so I wanna help other people that have low income and aren’t able to afford, you know, HVAC service or anything like that,” said Lescas, who aspires to operate his own HVAC company.
According to the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), the United States will need about 2.7 million craft professionals by 2026. However, due to high demand, Georgia needs a couple thousand workers right now.
“In Georgia and construction, specifically, we need about 10,000 new workers right now,” Scott Shelar, president and CEO of Construction Ready, a nonprofit organization focused on building skilled workers through recruitment and intensive training.
“So, in other words, if every person on the floor right now raised their hand and said I want to go to work in construction, we could find a good job for them.”
“I feel like people look down on vocational work a lot and as college becomes more and more expensive, it’s becoming an option for more and more people.”
Jackie Allen, SkillsUSA student
Shelar believes these events are essential in allowing students to gain hands-on experience in their respective interests.
“How else would a young person find out about a career in heavy equipment operations or electrical if they can’t walk the floor of this event and talk to real professionals?”
According to Boyd Worsham, president and CEO of NCCER, another factor that has helped SkillsUSA gain traction among students is its commitment to diversity.
“Diversity is the key to this 2 million person problem,” he said. “Quite frankly, we need this industry to be welcoming and open to everyone.”
And 16-year-old Allen hopes that the pattern continues.
“I love to see people who look like me or people who are of color in the field because it makes you feel more comfortable,” she said. “You know, the space is diversifying itself. It’s not just old, angry white guys anymore.”
