What to Expect at SkillsUSA 2023!

By Anna Lockhart.  

John Esbenshade shares all the details about this year’s SkillsUSA competition and what the attendees can expect from the event! 

In a recent episode of the Roofing Road Trips podcast, host Heidi J. Ellsworth, sat down with SkillsUSA contest organizer and director of workforce development for the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), John Esbenshade, to discuss this year’s event and what attendees and competitors can expect from the event.  

SkillsUSA was founded in 1965 and today continues to bring together students and industry professionals to introduce America’s future workforce to various industries. The nonprofit is designed to educate middle school, high school and post-secondary students in the skills they need to succeed in future jobs in the trade, technical and skilled career paths of their choice. Through thoughtfully designed competitions, students can compete to win in the field of their interest. From robotics, emergency services and architecture to cosmetology and aesthetics, students can compete for the chance to win in their chosen industry. From June 19-23, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia, students and industry experts from across the country will be attending the 59th annual National Leadership & Skills Conference. 

In particular, the construction industry has an exciting competition designed to spark an interest in young minds looking for an opportunity to learn more about roofing and construction. The competition is designed for students to participate in actual roofing practices, such as welding a seam or flashing a T-joint. The goal is to shape competent leaders of the next generation of roofing contractors, and for John and the NRCA, to find students who seek a path in the roofing industry as a ProCertified installer who’s an asset to their crew and the industry as a whole. 

John explained, “As students go, we want them to see ProCertification as the goal. And that's why we use almost the exact same mock-up. We try to keep things as consistent as possible to build that learning pathway for the students, starting with track, SkillsUSA and that mock-up and eventually leading to a ProCertified installer who's going to be a valuable asset to a crew...” John continued, “The next step is getting these kids through SkillsUSA, and then they have their first job as installer, but then we want to set them up for that promotion. What is that promotion going to be like? What are the career options that are going to be available? Because just imagine how much better any salesperson or foreman or superintendent will be, because they learned how to do this when they were 16. It's really an exciting place to be.” 

Listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about SkillsUSA and the work professionals across the roofing industry have put into making the roofing competition possible.