Integrate SkillsUSA into Your Program
The most successful SkillsUSA sections involve career and technical education and SkillsUSA with seamless integration. When this happens students learn technical, employability and leadership skills. Every student is involved and understands that SkillsUSA is their first professional association. You feel the pride of watching your students learn, grow and flourish while developing life-long skills for the workforce.  


Integrate SkillsUSA and Watch Your Students Accelerate
Your students will experience SkillsUSA and your CTE program to the fullest by integrating SkillsUSA into your classroom activities. Although this may not appear to be easy, many of the activities can be assigned to students that are part of the process of integrating SkillsUSA into the curriculum. When students are involved in the day-to-day operations of the class, they develop a sense of ownership to the program and the institution. They become committed to the program, develop more positive attitudes and, as a result, increase their levels of learning.

Some activities may include:

• Taking daily attendance
• Equipment distribution
• Safety checks
• Equipment inspections
• Inventory
• Correspondence with potential class speakers
• Contacting potential classroom speakers
• Introduction of class guests and speakers
• Make presentations to the class about new products and techniques
• Answering lab/class telephone
• Serving as open-house guides
• Meeting with program advisory committee
• Making arrangements for field trips

This publication includes only a partial selection of activities that are routinely are handled by the classroom instructor. Activities such as these follow the SkillsUSA Program of Work in leadership and professional development. Your planning while using these activities can also allow your students to meet the requirements of the Professional Development Program.

In addition to leadership and professional development activities, you can easily teach your students about the technical and social skills they’ll need in the workforce. A field trip to a local industry sponsor’s facility will help your students can see how the technical skills they’re learning are utilized and how workers interact on the job. After the trip, lead a classroom discussion on technical as well as social skills on the job, and you will have succeeded in bringing two more facets of the SkillsUSA Program of Work into your classroom.

Collect Background Information on a Local Industry

SkillsUSA members will seek employment in the local job market. That market of employment may range from a county industrial park to a state region. If employment for a specific trade goes beyond your local area, consult your advisory committee member or a local personnel director for the closest employer in that trade area. Students should visit these locations, collect background information on the job market in their trade and then make presentations to the class.

Advisory committee members and personnel directors are also a good resource for guiding group field trips and putting your chapter in touch with guest speakers. Have students make the contacts. Remember, your role is to guide the professional development of the students during the process.

Link Field Trips to Course Work

A well-planned field trip can lend a great deal of relevant information to your classroom instruction. It is preferable that the instructor visits the site prior to the class’ visit. You will want to meet with the tour guide to identify points of interest for the students.

If the SkillsUSA section sponsors the field trip, parents and members of the school administration can be included in the trip. Obtain prior approval from the employer to be certain that they’re aware of the number of people who will be in attendance. General interest tours, such as to a nuclear power station, would fit perfectly into a construction or electricity class curriculum and, likewise, appeal to administrators and board members. You and your students should make notes, during the tour, for a future class discussion or assignment.

Introduce Students to Prospective Employers

With the support of the school administration, set up a SkillsUSA presentation to inform the public of the connections between the curriculum and the SkillsUSA chapter. Hold the presentation during an open house of the technical center.

Students at SkillsUSA meetings should discuss the format of the presentations. Students can discuss and select course work activities actually found in an trade, technical, service or health occupations setting. For example, an architectural drafting class could set up blueprints and models of homes. A nursing student could be demonstrating CPR or even giving blood pressure checks. Send invitations to your business representatives and be sure to promote the presentations to students and faculty at the school and to parents who may attend. You will find that this type of activity provides numerous opportunities for students to become directly involved with potential employers. It also serves as an effective method of providing positive public relations for the school and the training program.

Use Local Resources to Develop Curriculum

Imagine the ownership your students could feel by being involved in gathering information for your curriculum? For input into your skills training curriculum, send teams of SkillsUSA members to visit local companies, gather information and conduct worker interviews in the fields of interest specified. Prepare the students prior to the visit to ensure success in communications.

Most materials can come from workers at all levels of the occupations. Team members may also select relatives, friends and neighbors who are in the industry of choice. Few people whether they like their jobs or not, can resist talking about their occupations and this ready source of information can be summarized by the SkillsUSA members in reports and classroom discussions.

Students can visit workers in almost any profession to gather data on likes, dislikes, satisfactions and characteristics of the occupation. It will also be important for them to collect occupationally specific information, such as procedures, certifications and even available professional associations. These types of interviews will help students gain insights in the day-to-day events and responsibilities of person in that field.

Make sure several employees are interviewed so the teams' summary reflects a broader base of experience.

Prospective Employers List (Word, PDF)

To ensure that you're following the Program of Work as you integrate your activities, refer to the following guide:

Social Committee

• Orient SkillsUSA activities to the curriculum

Professional Development Committee

• Collect background information on local industries
• Identify and list local personnel officers
• Link field trips to industrial sites

Employment

• Introduce students to prospective employers

Ways and Means

• Develop curriculum from local resources

Checklist for Integrating SkillsUSA Activities into the Curriculum

• Are SkillsUSA activities oriented to the curriculum?

• Have you acquired background information on local pertinent industries?

• Identified and listed personnel officers of relevant industries.

• Linked field trips to industrial sites with course work.

• Introduced students to prospective employers.

• Developed curriculum from local resources.