Wisconsin SkillsUSA students excel at national event

MADISON — Career and technical education students from Wisconsin exhibited excellence and brought home medals at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference held in Atlanta, GA June 1-5.
The annual SkillsUSA conference for middle school, high school, and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA was a showcase of the best career and technical education (CTE) students in the nation. Students competed in 101 different trade, technical, and leadership events, working against the clock, proving their expertise in occupations such as Advertising Design, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Diesel Equipment Technology, First Aid/CPR, Masonry, Medical Math, Photography, Prepared Speech, Technical Drafting, and Welding Fabrication.
SkillsUSA Wisconsin sent 102 students representing 42 schools to compete in the national workforce event, with the students participating in 65 different events. In addition, six state officers attended and participated in the conference.
Students consistently demonstrated expertise and professionalism while joining in a variety of leadership and competitive experiences. The organization’s vision is to produce the most highly skilled workforce in the world, providing every member the opportunity for career success.
All contests are run by SkillsUSA with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, testing competencies set by industry. In addition, leadership contestants demonstrated their skills, which included extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings using parliamentary procedure.

Top student winners received gold, silver, and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and scholarships to further their careers and education. The following Wisconsin SkillsUSA area student finished the 2026 national conference with outstanding accomplishments:
Gold Medal
CNC Programmer: Austin Young, Mid-State Technical College, Wisconsin Rapids
Founded in 1973, Wisconsin SkillsUSA added 14 new chapters in the 2025 school year, bringing the total to 166 high school and middle school Wisconsin secondary chapters. A partnership of students, teachers, and industry representatives working together to ensure America has the skilled workforce needed to stay competitive, the SkillsUSA diverse talent pipeline covers more than 110 trades, technical, and skilled service occupations, mostly related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
More than 200 corporations, trade associations, businesses, and labor unions support Wisconsin SkillsUSA. Programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials.
Helping each student excel and as a solution to shrinking the skills gap, SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.
For more information on SkillsUSA Wisconsin, visit www.skillsusa-wi.org or email wisconsinskillsusa@gmail.com.