NCC Career and Technical Ed Students Place in National Competition

Nash Community College students and staff recently participated in the 53rd Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky. More than 16,000 students, teachers and business partners participated in the conference. NCC students represent the largest community college SkillsUSA chapter in North Carolina.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student excel by providing educational programs, leadership opportunities,​ events and competitions that support career and technical education (CTE).

Stephanie Ashley of Nashville was the bronze winner in the Medical Assisting category. The assessment tested her ability to perform skills needed as a medical assistant via a written Health Occupations Core Knowledge and Skills test and at hands-on stations examining skills in invasive procedures, sterile procedures, collection and transportation, insurance filing and coding, critical thinking and more.

Jamie Richardson of Rocky Mount placed 17th in Welding. The scope of the contest was defined by industry standards as identified by the American Welding Society. The contest included a written examination on safety, math for welders and print reading, an oral interview with technical committee members and skills performance tests. Richardson was evaluated at a series of stations where he completed steel projects, aluminum projects, stainless steel projects.

Gabrielle Simmons of Bailey placed 11th in Esthetics. She completed a written knowledge exam, oral communication assessment and four skills performance tasks assessing: facial massage, basic facial and beauty and fantasy make-up application. NCC student Shakera Lawrence participated as a model in the Esthetics category.

Additional accolades were achieved by NCC Industrial Technology student Joshua West of Littleton who earned a certificate of completion for leadership training. NCC SkillsUSA Advisor, Sonya Small, participated in and received a certificate of completion for, the Engage advisor training class. Ashley and Simmons both received a certificate for Skill Points signifying high performance and work readiness in their trade.

“High achievement in the national competition reinforces Nash Community College’s commitment to providing opportunities for students to not only apply the technical skills they have learned, but to network with business and industry representatives, and to continually improve their craft,” Vice President for Instruction and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Trent Mohrbutter said. “There is great potential for NCC graduates to close the technical skills gap and have successful careers in our community. These awards are a clear indication that NCC students are able to perform at the highest level and that employers can depend on them to fill highly technical and necessary positions in our community and region.”

For more information, call (252) 451-8261 or (252) 451-8392.