ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Friday, career and technical education (CTE) students from all over the U.P. competed for skilled trades scholarships.
Engines were revving and sparks were flying at the annual SkillsUSA Region 4 Competition. The Delt-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District welcomed students to Bay College’s campus to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities.
“Students have the opportunity to compete at various levels in automotive, welding, and manufacturing,” explained Brad Ransom, State Director for SkillsUSA Michigan. “The top competitors will then compete at our State Leadership and Skills Conference in Grand Rapids in April. The top competitor from each category at States will then go compete at the national level. If they place at Nationals, they can go on to WorldSkills—an international conference against students from other countries.”
Competitors could also earn scholarships of $1,000 or $2,500 from the Bay College Foundation. That investment would be a tremendous help for students pursuing a skilled trade.
“I’m enrolled in Bay College here for this next year,” said Manistique High School senior Kenya Smith. “I’m going to get my welding certificate and pursue my future.”
Smith was one of several female students in the welding skills competition. She says SkillsUSA is an opportunity to break down barriers and stereotypes.
“Other people think that women are going to go into nursing and other things, but a lot of women that go into trades are more hands-on and can get the concept better,” Smith said. “A lot of women are good at it.”
Sault Area High School and Career Center senior Trenton Sanderson competed in automotive skills, a category he is passionate about.
“I’ve had family members that were in the mechanic field,” he said. “I just took the intro class and kind of fell in love with it.”
He says preparing for the competition has helped him to become more self-sufficient.
“I’ve learned basics on my vehicle,” said Sanderson. “I now can go and do my own work on my vehicle and not have to pay a mechanic to do it. I absolutely think that it’s a necessity to take this class.”
Whether or not students placed or won scholarships, Ransom says SkillsUSA presents them with opportunities that could change the course of their career paths.
“We partner with a lot of industry businesses throughout Michigan, as well as nationally,” he said. “When students meet with them at the state conference as well as here at the regional conference, those industry partners could eventually be their employer in the future.”
For Smith and Sanderson, SkillsUSA has also equipped them for success.
“I’ve learned how to be able to put my mind to things and, no matter what, just don’t panic and everything will be okay,” Smith said.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Sanderson added. “I think it’s pretty cool that they’re just going to give us the chance to go and actually use this in the real world and use it as a career.”
The Region 4 SkillsUSA Competition coincided with SkillsUSA Week, an annual celebration highlighting the importance of skilled trades.
