KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For its 50th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference, SkillsUSA drew more than 6,000 participants from secondary and post-secondary educational and training programs. The centerpiece was a daylong competition in 99 different categories, one of which was HVACR, where 54 students who had advanced from local, regional, and state competitions spent a day troubleshooting mechanical equipment as well as taking an exam on HVACR basics.
Under the eye of scoring judges, contestants brazed, executed air conditioning troubleshooting techniques, demonstrated refrigerant recovery and recycling skills, performed refrigeration maintenance, evaluated airflow, serviced a gas furnace, and were tested on geothermal equipment.
When the day was done, top finishers in the college/post-secondary division were: