SkillsUSA Competition
Trending
Some of the very best automotive/diesel students from our region's high schools and career centers competed Saturday in a SkillsUSA Competition on the campus of Washington State Community College. The future of automotive repair and maintenance looks to be in good hands.
Eight students competed in the SkillsUSA Southeastern Region Automotive Technology competition. This annual high school competition is designed to evaluate students' preparation for employment and to recognize them for excellence and professionalism in the field of automotive maintenance and light repair. The top three will advance to the state conference held in Columbus in April.
SkillsUSA is a partnership between students, teachers and industry working together to ensure that America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student excel and reach his or her potential. They provide educational programs, events and competitions that support career and technical education (CTE) in the nation's schools.
Empowering its members is part of SkillsUSA's mission statement. They strive to develop their members into world-class workers, leaders and responsible citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of the nation's future skilled workforce through the development of personal, workplace and technical skills that is grounded in education.
Annually, SkillsUSA serves more than 335,000 students and instructors nationwide. SkillsUSA has served more than 12.5 million annual members cumulatively since 1965.
"This competition is great. I wish they had this 30 or 40 years ago," said Joe Nutter, Auto/Diesel Program Director at Washington State Community College.
"There will be 10 stations set up today," explained Nutter. "They will have 15 minutes at each station. The top three in this regional competition will go on to the state competition."
The SkillsUSA stations included: Meter usage, wiring diagram analysis, generic scan tool, starting and charging, electrical & lights, tool identification, vehicle inspection/safety, parts identification, gathering information, customer service.
Winning first place in this year's competition was Shawn Mansfield, 17, of Buckeye Career Center.
"Of all the people in this region, I didn't think I'd win," admitted Mansfield. "I guess if you study hard enough, you get what you want."
Rounding out the top four finishers were Kaleb Kibbey of Tri-County, Seth Rhoades of Washington County Career Center and Jared Gregs of Knox County.
"We're really excited to have all of these students and instructors on campus with us today," said Brenda Kornmiller, WSCC Dean of Business & Industrial Technologies and Workforce Development. "It's been a great event here for six years. We're excited to see what the students can do in this competition."
"I'm all in for this SkillsUSA competition," expressed Jeff Starkey, Auto/Diesel Assistant Professor at Washington State.
"There's a lot of intrinsic pride with them. This is what they want to do and this is where they get to showcase their talents," stressed Starkey. "These are the best from southern Ohio from their respective career centers."
Starkey also volunteers for the national championship which is held in Louisville, Kentucky. Two from each state go to that competition.
Washington County Career Center Auto Mechanics instructor Dave Everson said the competition is an opportunity for the students to see how they stack up with other students in this region.
"It's a good experience for them," he said.
"The competition was very challenging, but fun," admitted Rhoades. "It was enjoyable to compete and represent my school. I'm now able to go on to state competition.
"My teacher worked with me the past two weeks to help me get ready for this competition. This feels great. I did a lot better than I expected."
Dane Thomas of Meigs High School has been around auto mechanics all his life and thought Saturday's SkillsUSA competition was a great experience.
"I feel honored to represent my school here," shared Thomas. "I'd do it again."
Meigs High School instructor Jeff Bissell said the SkillsUSA competition is a great opportunity for the students.
"It gives the students a chance to get out of the home office, so to speak, and see that their interests are shared with a lot of people," commented Bissell. "By competing, it boosts their morale. It helps them realize that it's a competitive work market and it motivates them to work harder."
—
Schools represented in the Regional SkillsUSA Competition:
Tri-County High School
Jefferson County High School
Knox County Career Center
Buckeye Career Center
Mid-East Career & Technical Centers
Meigs High School
Coshocton County Career Center
Washington County Career Center
2018 SkillsUSA Regional Competition Top Finishers:
1. Shawn Mansfield, of Buckeye Career Center
2. Kaleb Kibbey, of Tri-County
3. Seth Rhoades, Washington County Career Center
4. Jared Gregs, of Knox County
(Top Three go to state competition in April)