KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fifty-one high school and post-secondary students studying for careers in HVACR put their skills to the test as part of the recent SkillsUSA Championship. The 51 participants — 50 male and one female — advanced to the national competition by successfully competing in regional and state SkillsUSA events.
The national event began with a two-hour multiple-choice test based on the Industry Competency Exam (ICE), but modified for SkillsUSA, said test administrator, Pat Murphy, director of training and testing, RSES. He said the exam covered residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning as well as commercial refrigeration.
Two days later the students reconvened on the massive exhibition floor at Bartle Hall in the Kansas City Convention Center (KCCC), one of six venues being used for the 98 contests that made up the championship competition, which itself was just one part of the weeklong National Leadership and Skills Conference. In all, more than 5,900 contestants participated in the event.