Oct. 17, 2022 Update:
Originally shared via Memo Monday
We hope your SkillsUSA year is off to a great start with your chapter! It has been exciting to hear from advisors about what you and your students are doing to kickstart the year. Although we have been in a rebuilding state for the past year, the rebuilding is still an ongoing focus and we are hopeful for an increase in participation this SkillsUSA year.
When making a decision about whether or not to host regional conferences, we have to evaluate the following: the need for a regional qualifier to narrow down participation at State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC), the cost of hosting 3-5 regional conferences across the state, the financial health of the organization, the cost passed on to students to participate in regional conferences, and more.
The last year we hosted regional conferences in 2018-2019, our membership was over 5,200 members. This past year 2021-2022, our membership sat around 3,700. With almost a 30% decline in membership since the last time we hosted regionals, the rising costs of equipment and materials, the current void of industry support at the regional level, and no immediate need to narrow down participation before SLSC, the decision has been made to not host regionals in 2022-2023.
We still encourage you to host a local competition at the school or district level if you would like to give your students another opportunity to showcase their skills and receive feedback. A best practice is to bring in school administrators, school counselors, your CTE Director, business and industry partners, alumni, etc. to observe and evaluate your students. This could help increase buy-in from your administration as well as open the door for business and industry partners to sponsor your students and chapter.
There are many other opportunities for students to gain a comprehensive SkillsUSA experience out of competition through the Program of Work and Chapter Excellence Program. The Program of Work includes leadership development, advocacy and marketing, workplace experiences, financial life management, community engagement, and partner and alumni engagement. Program of Work activities allow students to practice and perform the Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework and receive feedback to strengthen their leadership and employability skills. The Chapter Excellence Program is a great way to get recognition for your chapter's activities, including the Program of Work, throughout the year outside of competition.
We hope our transparency helps you to better understand the decision that was made. We will re-evaluate the need for regional conferences annually and hope to have an update for 2023-2024 at the 2023 SLSC.
Questions? Please contact SkillsUSA.Tennessee@tn.gov.
We hope your SkillsUSA year is off to a great start with your chapter! It has been exciting to hear from advisors about what you and your students are doing to kickstart the year. Although we have been in a rebuilding state for the past year, the rebuilding is still an ongoing focus and we are hopeful for an increase in participation this SkillsUSA year.
When making a decision about whether or not to host regional conferences, we have to evaluate the following: the need for a regional qualifier to narrow down participation at State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC), the cost of hosting 3-5 regional conferences across the state, the financial health of the organization, the cost passed on to students to participate in regional conferences, and more.
The last year we hosted regional conferences in 2018-2019, our membership was over 5,200 members. This past year 2021-2022, our membership sat around 3,700. With almost a 30% decline in membership since the last time we hosted regionals, the rising costs of equipment and materials, the current void of industry support at the regional level, and no immediate need to narrow down participation before SLSC, the decision has been made to not host regionals in 2022-2023.
We still encourage you to host a local competition at the school or district level if you would like to give your students another opportunity to showcase their skills and receive feedback. A best practice is to bring in school administrators, school counselors, your CTE Director, business and industry partners, alumni, etc. to observe and evaluate your students. This could help increase buy-in from your administration as well as open the door for business and industry partners to sponsor your students and chapter.
There are many other opportunities for students to gain a comprehensive SkillsUSA experience out of competition through the Program of Work and Chapter Excellence Program. The Program of Work includes leadership development, advocacy and marketing, workplace experiences, financial life management, community engagement, and partner and alumni engagement. Program of Work activities allow students to practice and perform the Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework and receive feedback to strengthen their leadership and employability skills. The Chapter Excellence Program is a great way to get recognition for your chapter's activities, including the Program of Work, throughout the year outside of competition.
We hope our transparency helps you to better understand the decision that was made. We will re-evaluate the need for regional conferences annually and hope to have an update for 2023-2024 at the 2023 SLSC.
Questions? Please contact SkillsUSA.Tennessee@tn.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If there are no regional conferences, how can my students attend State Leadership and Skills Conference?
A: Students will not need to qualify to attend State Leadership and Skills Conference. They essentially bypass regionals and go straight to state. Every school can send one contestant/team to each contest at SLSC no matter how they placed at their local competitions.
Q: Can we host our own regional conference?
A: SkillsUSA Tennessee is not hosting regional competitions this year meaning there are no competitions that will be serving as qualifiers to attend State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC). Every school can send one contestant/team to each contest at SLSC no matter how they placed at their local competitions. That said, your school or district or schools in your area can host a local SkillsUSA competition. If you decide to host a local competition, we recommend calling it a “local” competition instead of a “regional” competition so as to not confuse our SkillsUSA Tennessee members statewide who are not hosting regional competitions.
Q: Will regions remain the same in future years?
A: Pre-pandemic, we had the following regions: West, Midwest, Middle, East, and Upper East. Post-pandemic, we have seen a large decline in membership numbers. Should we have the need for regional competitions in the future, we will be analyzing our current membership data to see if regions will remain the same or change. We want to consider accessibility and equity when it comes to competitors qualifying for State Leadership and Skills Conference.
