NEWARK – Teamwork. Travel. Confidence. Job skills. Time management.
They’re just a few of the ways students at Worcester Technical High School say they benefit from taking part in the SkillsUSA program. That’s why they’re in the midst of a massive fundraising campaign to send 26 students to the national SkillsUSA Championships in Kentucky June 19-23.
“It allows them an area of growth beyond the classroom that’s unparalleled,” said Bill Gordy, president of the Worcester County Board of Education and a former SkillsUSA advisor. “Students get so much out of it.”
There are currently close to 300 Worcester Tech students involved in SkillsUSA, a national program that encourages students to hone technical and professional skills that will help them as adults. At SkillsUSA competitions, held locally, regionally and nationally, students compete in more than 100 skills contests ranging from cosmetology to medical math.
This year, 26 students from Worcester Tech advanced to the national championships after wins at the state SkillsUSA competition. In addition to students competing in trade fields, the school will also have junior Laila Mirza, currently SkillsUSA Maryland state president, running for a national officer position. “This school has done a phenomenal job,” Gordy said.
Rick Stephens, SkillsUSA advisor at Worcester Tech, says it will take about $51,000 for school officials to take the qualifying students to Kentucky for four days of competition, speakers and instructional sessions. With the help of a few grants, they’ve raised $16,000 so far. Students are now in the process of organizing fundraisers, making requests from family and friends and contacting the local business community for support.
“Hopefully they’ll respond back,” Stephens said.
Generally, recognizing the importance of the job skills students receive through SkillsUSA, businesses are eager to support it. Michael Levy, Worcester Tech’s criminal justice and forensic science teacher, says the law enforcement community is always quick to make a contribution. Local agencies are cognizant of the fact that Levy’s program is preparing students for careers in law enforcement.
“We’re trying to pipeline these career fields with qualified, knowledgeable personnel,” he said, adding that local agencies already employed graduates of Worcester Tech and its SkillsUSA program. “It has dividends that have paid off for us.”
Levy says that since becoming involved in SkillsUSA at Worcester Tech, he’s seen how much it benefits students. While they learn career skills in the classroom, they’re able to enhance what they’ve learned through participation in SkillsUSA.
“It builds not just on character and knowledge base but it gives them exposure to a competitive environment and has them working in a team setting,” Levy said.
Tracy Lewis, an HVAC instructor at the school, says that because Worcester Tech’s SkillsUSA program has such a history of success students are eager to take part in it.
“It’s contagious,” he said.
Students Andrew Miller and Shawn Mitchell, both juniors at Worcester Tech, said they didn’t hesitate to get involved after hearing the program mentioned by their teachers.
“I went to one of the job skills demos and it was pretty cool,” Mitchell said.
Both boys qualified for the national competition for the first time this year with wins at the state level — Mitchell in appliance repair and Miller in mobile robotics.
“I got a job offer on the spot,” Mitchell said.
He and Miller are looking forward to testing their skills at the national competition later this month.
“It’s good experience,” Miller said. “You get life skills. Worcester Tech is great but SkillsUSA gives you more open world, real life situations.”
Mitchell agreed and said he still remembered how helpful the advice a state judge had given him had been during his last competition.
“It doesn’t matter how fast you are as long as you get the job done,” he said, adding that it had motivated him on a particularly difficult repair.
While it’s clear that students are enhancing their Worcester Tech educations through participation in SkillsUSA, transporting them to competitions across the state and country is expensive.
“It is financially strapping,” said Stephens, adding that unlike most high schools, Worcester Tech didn’t have sports ticket sales to rely on.
Nevertheless he is optimistic that support from local businesses and community members will make the trip possible, as it has in years past. He also praised the school’s teachers for all the time they put into the program.
“There’s not a staff member that’s not involved,” he said.
A fundraiser at the Sports Core Pool in Ocean Pines is set for June 2 from 6-8 p.m. Another is expected to take place at Johnny’s Pizza in Ocean City during the next two weeks. Anyone interested in donating toward the fundraising effort is encouraged to contact Worcester Technical High School.
