About SkillsUSA and WorldSkills

SkillsUSA, which got its start in 1965 and was originally known as the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.

The organization serves more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.  Approximately 19,500 teachers and school administrators also serve as professional SkillsUSA members and instructors.

SkillsUSA programs include local, regional, state and national competitions. During the annual national level SkillsUSA Championships, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, more than 6,500 students compete in 100 hands-on skill and leadership contests.

Through an investment from business and industry partners of approximately $36 million, the event occupies a space equivalent to 20 football fields. Nearly 2,000 judges and contest organizers from labor and management make the national event possible.

Select winners from the SkillsUSA Championships train for one year before competing at the biennial WorldSkills competition. Since 1950, WorldSkills has come to symbolize the pinnacle of excellence in vocational training. It provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in the industrial trades and service sectors of the global economy. The continued growth of WorldSkills International attests to the fact that traditional trade and craft skills, along with newer technology’s multiskilled occupations, make an essential contribution to the economic and social well-being of people everywhere. 

Other occupational areas in which the U.S. team will compete besides Plumbing and Heating include Aircraft Maintenance, Autobody Repair, Automobile Technology, Bakery, Bricklaying, Cabinetmaking, Car Painting, CNC Milling, Cooking, Cyber Security, Graphic Design, Hairdressing, Heavy Vehicle Maintenance, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mechatronics, Print Media, Restaurant Service, Web Technologies and Welding.

Unlike other national teams in the WorldSkills Competition, the WorldSkills USA team is funded solely through private donations. To donate funds or offer in-kind support, go to: www.worldskillsusa.org/donate/

3M serves as the lead sponsor of the 2019 WorldSkills USA team. Other team sponsors include Ferguson and Lowe’s.