Vol. 41, No. 26
March 29 , 2007
CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
Students Build Career Skills at Statewide Conferences
“Skills USA” at Linn Thursday through Saturday;
Technology Student Association at Warrensburg
Developing trade, industrial and technical skills are increasingly important for building a strong workforce and economy. Two youth-oriented conferences begin today that will provide a stimulating forum for high school students to develop and test their emerging career and leadership skills.
At Linn, nearly 1,850 trade and industrial students have gathered for the annual Missouri SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference, and 250 students are in Warrensburg for the Missouri Technology Student Association’s Distinctions Conference, both being held March 29‑31.
Missouri TSA and SkillsUSA are student organizations dedicated to developing well-rounded students, community leaders, and future employees and entrepreneurs. Activities foster the development of technical knowledge and skills, problem-solving ability and teamwork while building self-confidence and communication skills. State officer campaigns will be held.
Missouri TSA is an organization for technology education students that serves nearly 3,000 middle and high school students in 43 local school district chapters.
“This conference is the highlight of the school year for technology education students,” said Doug Miller, Missouri TSA State Advisor at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “Each student who attends has an opportunity to discover more about their potential for a future in our technological world.”
Now in its 28th year, the TSA event features more than 60 competitive events and the opportunity to receive statewide recognition for hard work and dedication to excellence. Categories of career challenges include computer animator, landscape architect, aerospace engineer, video production engineer, CAD draftsperson, and others.
SkillsUSA Missouri is a state association for industrial and health sciences education, with a membership of nearly 10,000 in more than 85 local chapters.
For SkillsUSA, this marks the 41st year for the Missouri state championships. The skills and leadership competitive events begin Thursday morning at the Linn High School Field House and will continue at Linn State Technical College. The 125 different events will continue for two days. Winners will be announced Saturday morning. Gold medal winners will represent Missouri at the National Leadership and Skills conference in Kansas City, June 26-29. SkillsUSA competitions may be observed.