Central Louisiana Technical Community College
'Workforce Olympics' to be Hosted by Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA, LA – The 29th annual Louisiana SkillsUSA Post-Secondary Championships will be hosted by the Alexandria campus of Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) beginning Wednesday, May 9. More than 100 technical and community college students from across the state will compete in this 'Workforce Olympics' event.
The championships, during which students match their abilities against their peers, are one of the state's largest gatherings of business, industry and education, and are judged by experts from local industry.
This year, students will compete in more than 25 skill areas, including practical nursing, allied health, automotive service, welding, collision repair advertising, and other in-demand career fields. Gold medal winners from Louisiana will go on to compete at the 48th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference, June 23-27 in Kansas City, Mo.
Last year, more than 5,700 contestants competed in 94 separate events in this multi-million dollar national event that occupies a space equivalent to 16 football fields and is made possible by nearly 1,500 judges and contest organizers from labor and management.
“This event is kindred to the Workforce Olympics of Career and Technical Education,” said Jimmy Sawtelle, CLTCC Interim Director. “Our previous year’s event not only brought home gold medals from the state competition but also won bronze and gold medals at the National Competition from right here at CLTCC,” Sawtelle said. “It’s an honor for us to host this prestigious event.”
The event is hosted through a partnership between the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) and the National SkillsUSA Office as underwritten by the Carl D. Perkins Grant for Career & Technical Education.
“It’s the ideal demonstration of students, business, and colleges as it builds and advances the workforce of Louisiana’s tomorrow,” said Jawan Ross, SkillsUSA Post-Secondary Director. "It is more than the competition or winning medals – rather, SkillsUSA provides a foundation for students to realize their full potential.”
The colleges participating in this year's competition are: Delgado Community College, Northshore Technical Community College, and South Central Technical College, SOWELA Technical Community College, and the host college, Central Louisiana Technical Community College. Competitions will be held Thursday, May 10, with closing awards ceremony at 9:30 a.m., Friday, May 11, and webcast live by the Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) at www.lpb.org/live.
For more information about the event or SkillsUSA, contact Jawan Ross, State Post-Secondary Director, by calling (225) 205-4292 or by email at jawanross@lctcs.edu, or Jimmy Sawtelle, CLTCC Interim Director and LCTCS vice president for career and technical education by calling (225) 329-5701 or by email at jsawtelle@cltc.edu.
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