LOUISVILLE — SkillsUSA came to the Derby City on June 25-29 for its 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference, the world’s largest showcase of skilled trades. Quality career and technical education and contests were the centerpiece of the conference. More than 18,000 students, teachers, education leaders, and representatives from 600 national corporations, trade associations, businesses, and labor unions participated. The highlight, as always, was the annual SkillsUSA Championships with 102 hands-on skills and leadership competitions. Championships were open to the public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, and Thursday, June 28, and were held at the Kentucky Exposition Center, the Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport, and the Kentucky Regional Fire Training Academy.
Ian McCleese, Collins Career Center, Chesapeake, Ohio, won gold; Jonathan lunk, Waterloo High School, Waterloo, Illinois, won silver; and Bryant Crow, Ozarks Technical Community College Career Center, Springfield, Missouri, won bronze for the secondary (high school) HVACR categories. Casey Dowell, Tennessee College of Applied Tech-McKenzie, McKenzie, Tennessee, won gold; Owen Dougherty, Penn College of Tech, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, won silver; and Blaine Feeler, State Technical College of Missouri, Linn, Missouri, won bronze in the post-secondary HVACR categories.