Bay College Hosts SkillsUSA Competition

News

Local student competing in one of four welding categories during SkillsUSA.

By Tina Jensen
Published February 7, 2024

Bay College is excited to be the host site of the 2024 SkillsUSA Regional Competition. The best career and technical students from across the Upper Peninsula will compete in various skills categories on Friday, February 9, 2024. The date coincides with SkillsUSA week, which is celebrated each year by SkillsUSA chapters around the country. The theme for this year’s SkillsUSA competitions is “No Limits.”

Competitors will be on campus demonstrating their skills and talents in the areas of Automotive, Computer Maintenance Technology, Precision Machining Technology, and Welding. The students are competing for scholarship money, as well as the opportunity to advance to the statewide competition that will be held April 12-14 in Grand Rapids. During the competition, they are graded and receive feedback from college faculty and high school instructors, as well as local business representatives in the field who volunteer their time to support the students.

Bay College will award four $2,500 scholarships to students who place first in the overall categories and four $1000 scholarships to students who place second in the overall categories.

“This event aligns perfectly with Bay College’s focus to help close the skills gap that exists by training individuals for high skill, high wage, and high demand jobs,” states Mark Highum, Bay College Dean of Business and Technology.

SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students, along with professional members enrolled in training programs within technical, skilled, and service occupations (including health occupations in high schools and college/technical schools). SkillsUSA programs include local, state, and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills.

For more information on Bay College’s Occupational Certificates and Degrees as well as the SkillsUSA competition, please contact the Dean’s Office at 906-217-4081.

Bay College is the community’s college with a mission of: Student Success, Community Success. Culture of Success. Bay is devoted to each individual’s achievement in the classroom, on-campus, online, in the community and into the workforce by providing certificates and associate degrees,  transfer credits to universities, and workforce training programs which develop skillsets and advance careers. #BayIsTheWay