News

Field Testing to Begin

Be one of the first to experience Skill Connect Assessments as a field test site this fall! Not only will you get a sneak peek at the assessments, but you will also earn a $50 gift certificate to purchase SkillsUSA materials. We want to be sure each assessment consistently measures students’ abilities. That’s why we are working with a team of psychometricians who have expertise in technical and occupational studies to evaluate field test results. We want to be sure that when the assessments are released, teachers, students and employers can rely on the test results. Please consider enrolling all of your students in a field test. We need students of all skill levels, whether they are just beginning a program or are about to enter the work force.

We’ll help each field test site begin through a series of 45-minute Webinars to review the testing process. Field tests take one to two hours to administer. The online assessments require access to Internet-enabled computers. Testing for the following 12 areas will begin September 15 and wrap up October 17:

• Automated Manufacturing Technology (AMT)
• Advertising Design
• Aviation Maintenance (Secondary)
• Aviation Maintenance (Post-secondary)
• Commercial Baking
• Cosmetology
• Employability
• Internetworking
• Major Appliance Repair
• Nail Care
• Photography
• Welding

For a complete schedule of field-testing for all 46 technical areas, click here.  Please complete this form to be a field test site this fall.  If you have any questions about field-testing, please contact us.

More than 1,000 Earn Skill Point Certificates

In the second year of the Skill Point Certificate, 1,015 competitors earned proficiency certificates in 59 technical areas at the 2008 National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City.  Nearly one-third of competitors earned the certificate by achieving an industry-defined cut score that varies by area from 60 to 80 percent of a perfect score. For more detailed results, click here.

The Skill Point Certificate is the pinnacle achievement in the Work Force Ready System for SkillsUSA students. It is earned only at the SkillsUSA Championships®. Each certificate lists competencies tested in the Championships® and displays  logos of the organizations represented by technical committee members who design the competitions. 

Upcoming Events

September 15-October 17: Field testing resumes for Skill Connect Assessments

October 7: Technical Advisory Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C.

December 4-6: ACTE National Convention, Charlotte, N.C.

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Also, check out our online newsroom for the latest media releases.

“The additional graphics of the test are very impressive when compared to other products. If this test was recognized by our state department, that would be great!”

- Eddie Baker, Wise County Career-Technical School, VA

- Tom Holdsworth, SkillsUSA Director of Communications & Government Relations

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Charles Murray contends that “equal educational opportunity means, among other things, creating a society in which it's what you know that makes the difference.” He continues, saying, “Substituting certifications for degrees would be a big step in that direction.”

Murray confronts the challenge faced by many of us in career and technical education: the perception that a bachelor’s degree is the best way to get a job worthy of respect in America. But the reality is that technical education is critical to the economic stability of our country. Skilled labor will always be in high demand, and we have the high calling of equipping our future skilled workers.

Not only does SkillsUSA help equip students for technical careers, but through the Work Force Ready System, we are building a system that helps potential employees prove what they can do. Employers can have confidence in an assessment aligned with industry standards nationwide. Skill Connect Assessments are not intended to serve as a national certification program, but we hope to continue elevating career and technical education such that they help achieve what Murray calls the blurring or the lines between college and non-college competencies.

Momentum is building, and we’re excited to share the journey with you.

The Work Force Ready System is the way ahead.