Skills USA Texas

(http://www.skillsusatx.org/)

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SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student to excel. SkillsUSA is a national organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations and for further education. SkillsUSA was formerly known as VICA (the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America).

SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of America’s skilled workforce through a structured program of citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training. SkillsUSA enhances the lives and careers of students, instructors and industry representatives as they strive to be champions at work.

SkillsUSA teaches the importance of developing leadership skills, positive attitudes and pride in workmanship. SkillsUSA Texas students associate schoolwork with real work. SkillsUSA Texas  prepares students for employment by introducing them to corporate quality culture. SkillsUSA Texas  emphasizes respect for the dignity of work, high standards in trade ethics, superior workmanship, quality and safety

More than 300,000 students and advisors join SkillsUSA annually, organized into more than 18,000 sections and 52 state and territorial associations. In Texas there are more than 15,000 members in more than 1000 chapters.  Combining alumni and lifetime membership, the total number served this year is more than 360,000. SkillsUSA has served more than 12.2 million members since its founding in 1965.

SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual state-level SkillsUSA Championships, more than 7,000 students and advisors attend or compete in more than 100 occupational and leadership skill areas, 75  technical information testing, and 3,000 job exhibits.

SkillsUSA programs also help to establish industry standards for job skill training in the lab and classroom, and promote community service. SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is cited as a “successful model of employer-driven youth development training program” by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System (http://www.workforcereadysystem.org/) is a comprehensive tool to help students document entry-level skills as defined by industry and accepted by state education policy. The Work Force Ready System offers over 40 technical and employability assessments in 11 cluster areas.

The Professional Development Program (http://www.careeressentials.org/experiences/) (PDP) teaches 76 workplace skill competencies in a series of hands-on self-paced lessons.

Student2Student Mentoring (http://www.skillsusa.org/programs/mentoring-student2student/) gives high school students a chance to mentor younger students in the area of career development.

CareerSafe (http://www.skillsusa.org/programs/careersafe-online-safety-training/) is a credentialed 10-hour online training program developed in cooperation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide students with basic knowledge of safety and a credential desired in the job market.