Lessons in Leadership: SkillsUSA Members Embrace the Framework

“The SkillsUSA Framework illustrates how students fulfill the mission of the organization by empowering members “to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.”

What does the framework do? It provides a common language to explain the purpose of SkillsUSA, it is a scaffold to assess skill development, and it provides a vision for SkillsUSA programs. With this in mind, the Lawrence County Chapter of SkillsUSA is working hard to help the kids understand more about SkillsUSA and how it can help prepare them for the world of work.

On the first meeting, the advisers gave students a task: Create a line of pool noodles from one end of the room to the other and then, during the duration of the activity, stand with one foot on the noodle at all times. This seemed easy enough, but then, the advisers layered one more additional instruction: Based on the day and month of your birthday chronologically organize yourselves — but don’t forget: Keep one foot on the noodle at all times.

After a few nervous giggles, a call out came from one end of the room: “I was born in February. Was anyone else?”

“I was!” came a voice from the other end.

“Come on down!”

And, working his way from one end of the line to the other, members helped him safely move over and around and through to achieve the goal. Others soon followed suit and a few minutes, the members had completed their task.

Now it was time to really begin learning. Taking a look at the SkillsUSA Framework projected on the board, they began to name the skills needed to accomplish the task. From Technical Skills Grounded in Academics — safety and health, from Personal Skills — work ethic, professionalism, responsibility, adaptability, and self-motivation, and from Workplace Skills — communication, decision making, teamwork, multicultural sensitivity and awareness, planning, organizing, and management, and leadership. In just about any critical thinking task, the SkillsUSA Framework can be applied.

…and that’s just what the Lawrence County CTC’s Chapter of SkillsUSA plans to do — apply the SkillsUSA Framework to each activity.