State Competitions on February 2
We are pleased to announce that Ocean County Vo-Tech has once again offered to host the following state competitions on Saturday, February 2, 2008, 8:00 AM (Snow date: Sunday, February 3):

• Commercial Photography
  
• Motorcycle Technology
  
• Marine Technology
  
• Power Equipment Technology
  
• Commercial Bakers Aide
  

There will be two other competitions at OCVT on February 2, Chocolate Dessert Challenge and Tech Prep Showcase. Finalists will be announced at the conclusion of the competitions on February 2. Medals will be presented at the SkillsUSA Championships Awards Ceremony on May 3.

State Officer Meeting
During the January meeting, the State Officer Team discussed the upcoming NJ SkillsUSA Championships in May and the SkillsUSA Championships in June. The meeting was held at Morris County School of Technology.

National Entrepreneurship Week
National Entrepreneurship Week is February 23 to March 1, 2008. National Entrepreneurship Week celebrates the contributions of entrepreneurs in America and the value added through Entrepreneurship education in all levels of education K-20+ through all the networking, publicity, and events during National Entrepreneurship Week.

As part of New Jersey's Career and Technical Education activities, on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, the state will host an Entrepreneurship Day at the Department of Education. The day will include presentations from outside parties along with exhibits from state entities involved with entrepreneurship activities. NJ SkillsUSA will have an opportunity to discuss entrepreneurship activities that our organization conducts.

The national nonprofit Center for Economic Development ranked New Jersey first in the nation for entrepreneurial energy in 2006 based on the number of new companies established and on the number of new jobs created by new companies. From 2003 to 2004, the number of new business openings increased by more than 20 percent, the third highest growth rate in the nation. Therefore, it is important for the state to ensure the sustainability of existing small and medium-sized businesses and to nurture entrepreneurial ventures within the state.

Drive for Five Membership Campaign
SkillsUSA has set a membership goal of reaching a record-breaking of 300,000 members. Upon reaching this historic milestone, SkillsUSA will have the largest membership since our founding in 1965. Membership is not just reaching a new number or an arbitrary goal-growth means the opportunity to create a larger and stronger voice for career and technical education as a whole in Washington, D.C. and all across the nation.

SkillsUSA is launching the campaign by sending a mailing to all 15,000 local chapters of SkillsUSA. To participate, each instructor will be invited to complete a Pledge Card stating that his or her school chapter or section will set a goal of adding five additional members over the previous school year. These five memberships may be paid student members or paid professional members, or any combination of the two. Pledge cards may be submitted by fax, by mail or online.

Please help SkillsUSA to reach this important milestone and be a champion for SkillsUSA! For more information, visit the following link: www.skillsusa.org/educators/championscampaign.shtml

SkillsUSA Week
SkillsUSA Week is celebrated the second week of February each year. The dates for the 2008 SkillsUSA Week are February 10 to 16. SkillsUSA Week gives state associations, advisors and student members the opportunity to promote SkillsUSA programs at activities at the local and state levels.

During SkillsUSA week, members can also help raise awareness of SkillsUSA. This can be accomplished through field trips to local businesses, an open house for parents or industry partners, a visit to local community organizations to make a brief presentation about SkillsUSA, or providing news releases and public service announcements to local media outlets for possible distribution.

Involvement in activities such as these brings positive recognition to SkillsUSA, and to local schools and their students. Also, it underscores the importance of SkillsUSA's purposes and mission, which is to help prepare America's high performance workers in public career and technical programs.

State Conference Update
Contest Updates are available for the upcoming New Jersey SkillsUSA Championships. For contest information, visit the following Web page: State Conference Web Page

OSHA & SkillsUSA Renew Alliance

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed its Alliance with SkillsUSA to continue providing career and technical educators and their students with resources that will protect the safety and health of young employees.

"These young people are America's future workforce," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "Early education to understand safety and health issues will enable the next generation to develop and practice safe work habits. I am pleased to continue this important Alliance with SkillsUSA as we extend our efforts to protect young employees nationwide."
Through the OSHA and SkillsUSA Alliance, OSHA representatives participated in the National Leadership and Skills Conference where Assistant Secretary Foulke gave a presentation entitled, "OSHA Update and the OSHA and SkillsUSA Alliance." SkillsUSA students, teachers and safety and health professionals attended the OSHA-sponsored 2006 and 2007 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign kick-off, a multi-year project that increases awareness about workplace hazards and provides information to young employees and their parents on how to avoid those hazards. In addition, representatives of SkillsUSA and other Alliance Program participants supported the 2006 and 2007 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, which focused on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.

"Renewal of the SkillsUSA/OSHA Alliance will help us continue the excellent work to raise youth awareness of occupational health and safety," said Timothy W. Lawrence, executive director, SkillsUSA. "The Alliance has helped youth all across the nation be more mindful of the issues that will impact their well-being as they rise to be part of America's 21st Century workforce. We are thrilled with the joint activities and awareness programs carried out thus far through the Alliance and look forward to a productive partnership in the coming years."