SkillsUSA Fact Sheet
Overview: SkilllsUSA is a partnership of students, leaders and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student to excell. SkillsUSA is a national organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations including health occupations and for further education. SkillsUSA was formerly known as VICA (the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America).
Membership: More than 300,000 students and advisors join SkillsUSA annually, organized into more than 17,000 sections and 54 state and territorial associations. Combining alumni and lifetime membership, the total number impacted this year is more than 330,000. SkillsUSA has served more than 10.5 million members since its founding in 1965.
Mission: SkillsUSA's mission is to help its members become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA is an applied method of instruction for preparing America’s high performance workers in public career and technical programs. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills. It emphasizes total quality at work—high ethical standards, superior work skills, life-long education, and pride in the dignity of work. SkillsUSA also promotes understanding of the free-enterprise system and involvement in community service.
Partners: In 2013, more than 15,500 teachers and school administrators served as professional SkillsUSA members and advisors. More than 1,100 business, industry and labor sponsors actively support SkillsUSA at the national level through financial aid, in-kind contributions, and involvement of their people in SkillsUSA activities. Many more work directly with state associations and local chapters.
Programs: SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate
occupational and leadership skills. At the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, over 5,600 students compete in 94 occupational and leadership skill areas.
SkillsUSA programs also help to establish industry standards for job skill training in the lab and classroom, and promote community service. SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is cited as a "successful model of employer-driven youth development training program" by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System is a comprehensive tool to help students document entry-level skills as defined by industry and accepted by state education policy. Developed under a W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant, the Work Force Ready System features 47 industry-driven assessments.
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