Building Confidence and Careers

Alaska returns to SkillsUSA competitions locally and nationally

By Victoria Petersen

n March, more than 150 high school students from across Alaska gathered in Anchorage to test their abilities in hands-on technical and leadership challenges during the state’s SkillsUSA conference. The three-day event, held March 26 through 28, marked a growing return for SkillsUSA in Alaska, as students competed in dozens of different trade competitions ranging from welding and electrical wiring to video production and cosmetology.

Winners represented Alaska at the SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 23 to 27.

“The National Competition is absolutely mind-blowing,” says Keith Hodson, SkillsUSA Alaska director and a career and technical education coordinator at the Anchorage School District, of the 2024 competition. “Imagine thirty football fields filled with competitions: that’s what SkillsUSA is like. The energy is electric—young adults proudly showcasing their skills. Alaska has one of the smallest populations in the nation, and I know our students felt overwhelmed; I did too.”

Hodson helped form a new SkillsUSA Alaska board two years ago, leading to the program’s return with a state competition in Fairbanks and eight Alaskan students advancing to Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia, last year. This year, Alaska’s delegation size is on track to double.

“We’re so grateful to our teachers, parents, and business sponsors for making this possible,” Hodson says. “Students in these programs are learning real-world skills, building résumés, and practicing public speaking. They’re gaining confidence, and that’s priceless.”

The list of competitions spans both technical and leadership categories, from welding sculpture and diesel mechanics to job interview simulations and t-shirt design. As participation and interest increases, so will the number of competitions that are offered. According to Lori Harmon, president of the SkillsUSA Alaska board and an industry leader with GHEMM Company in Fairbanks, SkillsUSA can tailor competitions to the needs of the state.

“SkillsUSA gains its success from industry and education, working hand in hand to create a mutually beneficial event,” Harmon says. “Our students often receive job offers after participating in the competitions. Most of our judges are industry professionals, giving them a front-row seat to see the next generation of Alaskan workers.”

All participating students are enrolled in Career and Technical Education, or CTE, classes. Once advisors sign up for SkillsUSA, they receive competition standards that often align closely with their existing curriculum. Hodson says the experience transforms classroom dynamics.

“Instead of resisting authority, students are now part of a team with their teacher,” he says. “They also receive praise from community members for their hard work, which rarely happens in core academic classes.”

Student officers stand with officer mentors Abigail Jensen, far left, and Ashley Kelly, next to her, and team coach Keith Hodson, far right, at the March SkillsUSA Alaska competition.

Students involved in these career and technical classes gain real-world experience, Hodson says. Public speaking, résumé building, and regular advisor meetings are all part of the curriculum. The preparation is intense but rewarding, he says.

“They go from not knowing how to run a basic meeting to leading an entire conference delegation,” Hodson says. “It’s incredible to witness.”

Hodson says students who take two or more of these types of classes have a 93 percent graduation rate, compared to the 82 percent of those who don’t. He said this is why the Anchorage School District is investing in this type of education, and why the state should consider doing the same.

“If our state government is serious about workforce development, they need to properly fund our schools so more families can access these opportunities,” he says.

Harmon notes that Alaska is projected to see a 9.8 percent increase in construction jobs by 2030.

“Through the SkillsUSA competitions, students learn skills that will allow them to find high-paying jobs in high-demand careers,” Harmon says. “We want our Alaskan students to stay in Alaska. It is not easy or cheap to live in Alaska. This is especially true for rural communities. Every community, no matter what size, needs people with trade skills. We must invest in our students to combat the outward migration in our state.”

The structure of the national competition allows only one entry per student. If a student wins in multiple categories at the state level, the second-place finisher in the overlapping categories is invited to participate at the national level, maximizing the number of Alaskans eligible to compete nationally.

Josh Coghill, treasurer for SkillsUSA Alaska and an electrician with Brice Inc., says the competition helps expose youth to careers that can be hard to access at an early age.

“The beautiful thing about SkillsUSA is you are exposing youth to a profession in a safe manner, where the workforce isn’t taking advantage of it,” Coghill says. “The idea of getting a 14- to 16-year-old child to come work for you in a construction industry, or in a salon, or in a bakery, or in a welding shop has inherent dangers, and none of our insurance companies would allow us, but they need that exposure, right? That’s what SkillsUSA facilitates.”

Coghill, who did not graduate high school and later earned his GED before building a career in the trades, says the cultural shift away from the “college-or-failure” mindset is long overdue.

“I was told when I was in school if I didn’t go to college that I was going to be considered a failure,” Coghill says. “And I felt that… Now, looking back over the twenty-five years that I’ve been in the trade, I understand that most of those guys that went to college work for me or somebody like me, and that it has been a very lucrative skill. It’s something that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.”

Traci Johnson, a board member with SkillsUSA Alaska, says the program’s growth this year is a hopeful sign. The competition categories evolve based on student interest, with a historic strength in construction-related trades.

The conference, powered by hundreds of volunteer hours, aims to eventually rotate among Alaska’s three largest population centers. Next year’s conference, however, will remain in Anchorage. Organizers hope to hire a permanent state director to ensure long-term sustainability.

Coghill says he hopes future competitions will see more involvement from all regions of Alaska.

“These students—not only are we teaching them how to read, write, do math—but if we’re not giving them tangible tools, as well, we’re failing them still,” he says.