What is SkillsUSA Texas?
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student to excel. 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).
SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of America’s skilled workforce through a structured program of citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training. SkillsUSA enhances the lives and careers of students, instructors and industry representatives as they strive to be champions at work.
SkillsUSA teaches the importance of developing leadership skills, positive attitudes and pride in workmanship. SkillsUSA Texas students associate schoolwork with real work. SkillsUSA Texas prepares students for employment by introducing them to corporate quality culture. SkillsUSA Texas emphasizes respect for the dignity of work, high standards in trade ethics, superior workmanship, quality and safety
Our Mission
The mission of SkillsUSA Texas is to provide opportunities for its members to become successful and productive citizens, employees and leaders, accomplished through a structured program of leadership training activities, communication and business partnerships.
Our Programs and Resources
SkillsUSA offers materials and programs to help students develop as individuals, employees and citizens. The SkillsUSA Framework illustrates how students fulfill the mission of the organization to empower members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. It delivers a skill set demanded by business and industry but lacking in many employees today and ensures that every student member receives a consistent and specific skill set. The Career Essential Suite teaches workplace skill competencies in a series of hands-on self- paced lessons in an on-line format. These products ensure your students have the foundational skills, attitudes and values to distinguish them from
other applicants in the skilled labor marketplace. Jump into STEM connects SkillsUSA members with STEM-related activities with 4th and 5th graders. The Chapter Excellence Program takes the guesswork out of what a healthy SkillsUSA chapter looks like. It uses the SkillsUSA Framework to prepare students for career readiness. The President’s Volunteer Service Award is offered in recognition of sustained service. Recipients receive a lapel pin, certificate or congratulatory letter from the president of the United States.
We wanted to share the exciting results from a new report about SkillsUSA that affirms what more than 14 million members served since 1965 already know: SkillsUSA involvement better prepares students for personal and professional success.
SkillsUSA Advantage Report report, just released by the Student Research Foundation, shows that SkillsUSA members consistently outperform peers not enrolled in a career and technical student organization (CTSO) in seven essential areas:
- Earning a license or certification related to their field of study
- Meeting potential employers
- Being excited about their chosen career
- Gaining work experience as a student
- Understanding the work environment
- Being excited about school
- Connecting school to the real world
Among the more than 27,000 high school students surveyed, this “SkillsUSA advantage” holds true regardless of gender, race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. In fact, girls, students of color and students at low socio-economic schools all showed improved outcomes from participating in SkillsUSA. Students reported greater access to expanded opportunities and dramatically improved career-readiness skills as SkillsUSA members.
This report is one of the first post-pandemic looks at students, and the SkillsUSA advantage it represents underscores the importance of removing barriers to ensure that all potential members have an opportunity to participate in this life-changing, career-shaping organization. In fact, increasing access to SkillsUSA as part of career and technical education (CTE) is one way of increasing equity in educational outcomes. Expanding student access to SkillsUSA is also a promising solution to meeting our nation’s future workforce needs while helping to close the skills gap that threatens economic growth.
Our Partners
Nationally, SkillsUSA enjoys support from more than 1,000 corporations, businesses, associations and labor unions. These sponsors support SkillsUSA financially and with in-kind contributions because they believe in our mission.
CareerSafe is a credentialed 10-hour online training program developed in cooperation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide students with basic knowledge of safety and a credential desired in the job market.
Compliance Statement
SkillsUSA Texas shall comply fully with the nondiscrimination provisions of all federal and state laws, rules, and regulations by assuring that no person shall be excluded from consideration for recruitment, selection, appointment, training, promotion, retention, or any other personnel action, or be denied any benefits or participation in any educational programs or activities which it operates on the grounds of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, disability, age, or veteran status (except where age, sex, or disability constitutes a bona fide occupational qualification necessary to proper and efficient administration). The SkillsUSA Texas Association, High School/Secondary Division, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.