Congratulating someone for “getting bigger every year” isn’t usually considered a compliment. That’s not true for SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), which doesn’t just get bigger with every successful trip the earth makes around the sun, but better. The 55th NLSC, held in Louisville, Ky., this past June, didn’t just keep the tradition alive, it set new standards to live up to.
For starters, the event set an all-time attendance record, with 11,136 registrants and an estimated total attendees closing in on 20,000. The SkillsUSA Championships boasted the most competitors ever, with 6,417. SkillsUSA TECHSPO — the largest career and technical education trade show in the nation — reached behemoth proportions, as members of industry and education sought to connect with the most highly skilled students in the nation.
The NLSC welcomed a host of VIPs, too, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Mick Zais. “This is an amazing display of all-American talent,” Zais said after touring the contest floor. “It’s really been uplifting and inspirational.”
Those words could be used to describe so many other moments of the confer- ence that can’t be quantified by a spread- sheet. From the thrills of the Opening Ceremony to the fulfillment of the community service event that saw students build and deliver bikes to underprivileged kids … from the breathtaking expanse of the skilled and leadership competitions to the elation of the Awards Ceremony … the 55th NLSC won’t be forgotten any time soon. For more photos and video, visit: tinyurl.com/nlsc19-media.
