Forsyth Technical Community College’s SkillsUSA team, led by graduates of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, took second place in the Video News Production competition at this year’s National Leadership and Skills Conference.
SkillsUSA is a workforce development organization that caters to students in middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. Representing nearly 400,000 students and teachers in schools across the country, the program seeks to instill participants with both experience in specific trades and general insights into career-readiness that will make them the best possible professionals when they join the workforce. Students in SkillsUSA have access to more than 130 different fields of occupational study, ranging from baking to welding to entrepreneurship to 3D animation and everything in-between. With so many fields to choose from, the program gives students with a diverse array of talents a chance to shine outside the classroom.
“Any skill you can think of that goes beyond what we might call ‘book smarts’, it’s used to support students who want to go into those fields,” said Clara Lakey, a graduate from East Forsyth High School.
Students display the skills they learn through SkillsUSA in a variety of competitive conferences, including the National Leadership and Skills Conference, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia last month. With an entire nation worth of other chapters to compete against, the competition is strenuous, and the challenges themselves are true tests of skill. For example, the Video News Production competition tasked teams with writing and producing a three-minute news broadcast, a complex job involving many different steps that they only had two hours to complete. Not only does the intensity of the competition inspire participants to do their best and show off their talents, but it also gives them a chance to learn from their colleagues around the country.
“It was really interesting to see the determination in not only our team but the other teams as they were working,” said Brett Lucas, who competed in the Video News Production competition.
Forsyth Tech’s second-place finish in the Video News Production competition was a major validation of the team’s efforts. The competition tested not only how they had developed in SkillsUSA, but also in their study pathways in college and their preparedness to join the workforce. Many members of the team graduated this spring, and they’re glad to have the extra shot of confidence as they take their next big steps in life.
“I was never the most confident with news, but having this competition and seeing how other people work with the same stuff we had, it gave me a boost,” Lakey said.
WS/FCS middle schools and high schools often host SkillsUSA programs of their own, and these alumni say that those programs deserve attention from more students and staff. Elizabeth Foreman, a graduate of Parkland High School, says that she didn’t participate in SkillsUSA in high school, but that she’s certain that today’s students would be better set up for future success if they have the opportunity to join.
“We have a lot of talented people over there, and it’s really nice to have an outlet for them to venture out and see what they like,” Foreman said.