Brady Kroll To Represent U.S. at 2024 WorldSkills Competition

If there was a “special guest” at this year’s Legislative Conference, it had to be Brady Kroll, 21, from Barnesville, Minnesota.

The recent graduate of North Dakota State College of Science will be representing the U.S. in plumbing and heating at the 2024 WorldSkills Competition, Sept. 10-15, in Lyon, France.

"I thought that they were joking," Kroll said, when he talked to us about the moment he heard he was selected. "There are competitors from all across the world.”

During his day on Capitol Hill, Kroll even scored a meeting with Sen. Tina Smith, his state’s junior Democratic senator.

Before he wrapped up his two-year degree in HVAC last May (he already has a plumbing certificate), Kroll has been on a whirlwind tour of various state PHCC chapters taking part in plumbing and heating competitions. Anyone who regularly goes onto LinkedIn will have likely seen the PHCC Academy’s “Where’s Brady” posts that document his travels.

The trips hone Kroll’s skills to prepare for WorldSkills while under the tutelage of well-known PHCP trades instructor Bob Hahn. However, Kroll and the PHCC Academy are also putting together a roadmap for future SkillsUSA and WorldSkills competitors, too.

“I'm basically building a guidebook for the next competitors,” Kroll added, “that will document how I trained and prepared.”

Starting Out

Kroll started along the path of a skilled trades career in high school when he started taking all types of shop and construction classes.

“My dad finally said maybe you should be a plumber like your cousin,” Kroll added.

As luck would have it, the family were friends with a plumber right in his hometown.

“I started working there my junior year of high school as a helper and by my senior year, I said to myself, ‘I could do this for a living.’ ”

Besides his cousin, Kroll can’t say he comes into the skilled trades through a direct family member. However, his father does work for the local water department.

“So I guess he’ll supply the water and I’ll pipe it into people’s homes,” Kroll added.

SkillsUSA

Kroll already represented the state of North Dakota at the SkillsUSA Championships in 2022, winning a national silver medal in plumbing.

A student-led partnership of education and industry, SkillsUSA is America’s champion of the skilled trades, building the nation’s future skilled workforce by delivering graduates who are career ready, day one. SkillsUSA works year-round to instill positive attitudes, build self-esteem and empower students to excel in the career path of their choice and follow their passions. The organization has 850 national partners and is integral to the training in nearly 20,000 career and technical education classrooms.

Kroll will be one of 1,500 overall competitors from more than 65 countries and regions at the 47th WorldSkills Competition to take part in 62 skill competitions in Lyon.

The competition will showcase dozens of trade skills from construction and building technology, creative arts and fashion, information and communication technology, manufacturing and engineering, social and personal services, and transportation and logistics.

More than 250,000 spectators from around the world are expected attend the 2024 competition including students, public policymakers, employers, teachers, trainers, technical experts and government officials.

Incidentally, another student of North Dakota State College of Science is heading to France, too. Cale Mouser, from Tenstrike, Minnesota, will be competing in the Heavy Vehicle Technology category.

“Being chosen for the 2024 WorldSkills USA team means a lot to me because it recognizes the time and effort I have put into my career,” Kroll said. “It has also reminded me of how far I have come. I’m grateful for the opportunity not just to improve my skills and understanding, but also to thank my mentors and supporters for all they have done to help me get to where I am.”