Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Heads to SkillsUSA Nationals
Lancaster, PA - Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is headed to the SkillsUSA National Competition in Louisville, Kentucky June 19-23, 2017 where students will showcase their career and technical education in various fields.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology will send students from various trades to represent the College at Nationals: Rob Skoldi, Rob Saatman, Derek Mable, Cheyanne K., Matthew Wootten and Ethan Gourley. These students have placed 1st in the State & Leadership Conference on April 19 – 21 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
In the Welding Fabrication Category, Rob Slodki, Rob Saatman & Derek Mable used their welding and fabrication skills to build a designed project from the given material using SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW and OFC processes.
In Graphics Communication & Printing, 1st Year Cheyanne Kasmierski where she overcame an eight part contest that tests her knowledge in Digital Press, Digital Workflow, Finishing, Offset Press Operations, Oral Professional Assessment, Production Planning and Technical Knowledge.
In Cabinetmaking & Wood, First place - Matthew Wootten built a small cabinet from materials and drawings supplied. Contestants were expected to read the drawings, lay out and cut the parts using a table saw, laminate trimmer, hand drill, hinge boring machine and various hand tools. The parts must be accurately assembled, sanded and adjusted to tolerances specified by the judges.
In Automotive Refinishing, First place - Ethan Gourley demonstrated the ability to perform jobs and skills based on the task list outlined by the National Institute for Automotive Excellence (ASE) and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). The competition included a series of workstations to assess skills in the following areas: surface preparation, spray gun operation, paint mixing, matching and applying, solving paint applications problems, determining finish defects, causes and cures and utilizing safety precautions.
Don Dagen, Electro-Mechanical Technology professor, is the adviser to the group. “I got involved because my students wanted to compete in mechatronics, but by the end of states I was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of students involved in SkillsUSA. If people have a bad opinion of millennials then they haven’t seen a SkillsUSA competition. I am really looking forward to having that opinion reinforced at Nationals”
The SkillsUSA Championships will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. More than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students –– all state contest winners –– will compete hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry. Leadership contestants will demonstrate skills including extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure. The competitions will be open to the public and free of charge.