SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations.

[citation needed] In 1960, the American Vocational Association (AVA) held a meeting, where a committee was formed to facilitate a solution.

[3] These representatives were from existing vocational education groups which agreed to finance the effort, from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Illinois actually provided the salary for Philip Baird to be the first executive secretary of the newly founded VICA.

[2] At the national conference, held in Little Rock, Arkansas, the VICA emblem was unveiled, and the first official state charters were presented.

[3] In 1969, the Postsecondary Division of VICA was approved during a Constitutional Convention held in Memphis, Tennessee,[3] bringing total membership to 82,000.

In 1995, the national competition, then known as the United States Skill Olympics, was renamed to the SkillsUSA Championships during the NLSC.

[citation needed] Approximately 19,500 teachers and school administrators serve as professional SkillsUSA members and instructors.

[citation needed] SkillsUSA programs include local, regional, state and national competitions.

During the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, more than 6,500 students compete in 100 hands-on skill and leadership contests.

The new online curriculum has 15 project-based learning experiences; these provide real-world context for the essential elements of the SkillsUSA Framework of developing personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics.

[citation needed] There are recreational activities scheduled during the conference week, including a SkillsUSA night at Kentucky Kingdom.

There have been a number of noteworthy speakers, including Ronald Reagan, Chuck Yeager, Mike Rowe and James Lovell.

[2] SkillsUSA offers competitive activities in which students strive to achieve in a variety of occupational skill and leadership areas.

Leadership contests include public speaking, parliamentary procedure, safety, Opening and Closing ceremonies, and job interviewing.

[11] Students may participate in three types of contests: Leadership, Occupationally Related, and Skilled and Technical Sciences.