Opening ceremonies were Tuesday, June 20, with actual competitions on Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22.

The SkillsUSA championships are competitive events showcasing the best career and technical education students in the nation. Contests begin locally and continue through the state and national levels. This year’s national theme is” SkillsUSA: Champions at Work! Preparing America’s Skilled Workforce.”

The National SkillsUSA competition is a multi-million-dollar event that occupies a space equivalent to 16 football fields. More than 6,000 contestants compete in 100 separate events.

Students put their skills to the test in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of nearly 1,500 judges and contest organizers from industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry.

The philosophy of the championships is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and to keep training relevant to employers’ needs.

CNM students competing in Louisville this week are:

Jesse Beach, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Technician