Career and technical education students from Calhoun Community College were recognized at the 2024 SkillsUSA Championships on June 26-27 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Eventgoers were invited to demonstrate their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in 115 hands-on occupational and leadership competitions. Some of these competitions include robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking.

As an indicator of proficiency, Skill Point Certificates were awarded to all national contestants who met a predetermined threshold contest score for their SkillsUSA event, demonstrating workplace readiness. Students can add this certificate to their employment portfolio.

— Cade Pressley, from Falkville, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in the Job Interview category.

— Diana Lobato-Mendez, from Huntsville, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in the Job Skill Demonstration Open category.

— Jeremy Doggett and Michael Gronkowski were awarded a Skill Point Certificate in the Cyber Security category as Team E.

— Gabrele Zaragoza and Lian Conner were awarded a Skill Point Certificate in the Additive Manufacturing category as Team G.

The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world, covering 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres.

“More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation participated in the 2024 SkillsUSA Championships,” SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis said. “This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates SkillsUSA at its finest. Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels. This program expands learning and career opportunities for our members.”

Industry leaders from 850 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards of entry-level workers.

Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. More than 1,200 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year.

All SkillsUSA Championships competitors were honored on Friday night, June 28, at the closing SkillsUSA Awards Session at State Farm Arena.

The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference.

The national, nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry is a verified talent pipeline for America’s skilled workforce that is working to help solve the skills gap.