Gadsden State Community College students earned five gold medals, seven silver medals, and one bronze medal during the 2014 Alabama SkillsUSA Leadership Conference, Career Expo and State Championships held recently in Birmingham. During the two-day event, students competed in more than 80 different categories including carpentry, precision machining, electrical wiring, architectural drafting, automotive refinishing and welding. Technical students from Gadsden State competed with more than 1,700 students from across the state. The five gold medal winners will advance to compete at the 50th Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students held in Kansas City in June.

Drake Weaver of Crossville won a gold medal in Collision Repair Technology while Jiawei Hoang of Cedar Bluff was a silver medalist in Carpentry. Their instructors are Heath McDaniel (Carpentry) and Joe Mashburn (Collision Repair and Automotive Refinishing).

“We are extremely proud of all our students who competed in the state SkillsUSA competition. With the help of dedicated instructors, these students have mastered skills that are preparing them for tomorrow’s workforce,” said Tim Green, dean of technical education and workforce development. These students represent the Ayers, East Broad and Valley Street campuses of Gadsden State.

The SkillsUSA competition is a partnership among students, teachers, schools, and industry working together to showcase talent.  The national organization for college/postsecondary technical students enrolled in trade, technical, and skilled service profession instructional programs including allied health occupations represents more than 300,000 students in 130 different occupational areas.