ARTICLE
Abygail Jacobes, 17, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania recently participated in the SkillsUSA National Championships. This event, by invitation only, was for first place state medalists in 107 competition areas for career and technical students. Abygail was a competitor in the National SkillsUSA Welding Sculpture Competition and was awarded the bronze medal. The SkillsUSA Championships, held virtually this year, took place June 14-24, 2021, as part of the SkillsUSA 57th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. More than 3,700 outstanding career and technical education students -- all state contest winners competed virtually in 107 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education. The SkillsUSA Championships is for high school and postsecondary/college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA. During the national competition, Abygail and other students across the country worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry. Mr. Ken Stockton of Jackson, NJ served as the local Certified Welding Inspector needed to assess Abygail’s sculpture for the virtual competition. Abygail is a 2021 graduate of Quakertown Community High School and the Upper Bucks County Technical School (UBCTS). Abygail has excelled in the Welding Technology program at UBCTS for the past three years most recently under the guidance of Welding instructor Joshua Kosak. During her senior year, Abygail was selected as an Elmer Gates Enterprise Award recipient and February Student of the Month at UBCTS. Abygail participated in the Cooperative Education program at UBCTS leading to employment as a Welder at Klover Contracting of Quakertown, PA where she continues employment today. About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation's skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA's championships program and curricula, employers have ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA's new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has membership nationwide in high schools, middle schools and colleges, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. SkillsUSA receives in-kind and financial support from more than 650 national partners. They have served more than 13.8 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.
Abygail Jacobes, 17, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania recently participated in the SkillsUSA National Championships. This event, by invitation only, was for first place state medalists in 107 competition areas for career and technical students.
Abygail was a competitor in the National SkillsUSA Welding Sculpture Competition and was awarded the bronze medal. The SkillsUSA Championships, held virtually this year, took place June 14-24, 2021, as part of the SkillsUSA 57th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. More than 3,700 outstanding career and technical education students -- all state contest winners competed virtually in 107 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education. The SkillsUSA Championships is for high school and postsecondary/college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA.
During the national competition, Abygail and other students across the country worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry. Mr. Ken Stockton of Jackson, NJ served as the local Certified Welding Inspector needed to assess Abygail’s sculpture for the virtual competition.
Abygail is a 2021 graduate of Quakertown Community High School and the Upper Bucks County Technical School (UBCTS). Abygail has excelled in the Welding Technology program at UBCTS for the past three years most recently under the guidance of Welding instructor Joshua Kosak. During her senior year, Abygail was selected as an Elmer Gates Enterprise Award recipient and February Student of the Month at UBCTS. Abygail participated in the Cooperative Education program at UBCTS leading to employment as a Welder at Klover Contracting of Quakertown, PA where she continues employment today.
About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation's skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA's championships program and curricula, employers have ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA's new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job. SkillsUSA has membership nationwide in high schools, middle schools and colleges, covering over 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. SkillsUSA receives in-kind and financial support from more than 650 national partners. They have served more than 13.8 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.