Career Technical Education (CTE) is a great form of education for many reasons, but one of the most influential is the requirement that every Career Technical Education program be affiliated with a Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO). To people unfamiliar with CTE, the most widely known CTSO is FFA.
There are multiple CTSO’s in the career tech space, but the most prominent is SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a national organization representing more than 444,000 career and technical education students and teachers. Its mission is to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders, and responsible community members.
On Friday, February 13th, the Apollo campus will welcome approximately 500 students representing 20 career-technical education centers and comprehensive high schools from across Northwest Ohio to participate in a regional SkillsUSA competition. A total of 33 skilled competitions will take place throughout the day, showcasing students’ talents in technical, leadership, and employability skill areas. In addition, we have approximately 100 judges from industry and education who are volunteering their time to serve as judges and event support.
The top four competitors in each category will move on to the state competition in May, with the final skill event winners competing against the best of the best across the country this summer at Nationals held in Atlanta, Georgia. Apollo Career Center has had several excel in SkillsUSA with national winners in Electricity and Manufacturing.
CTSO’s have changed the trajectory of countless lives for the better, and are one of the many “secret ingredients” to career tech education that makes it so impactful.
