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Another Year at SkillsUSA in the Books

Greencastle, July 1, 2022: The 2022 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) took place during June 20-24, 2022. The contest moved to Atlanta, Georgia from its prior Louisville, KY location after a two-year hiatus. The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), Centennial Olympic Park, State Farm Arena and CNN Center all together hosted the NLSC downtown Atlanta. The total attendance for NLSC was approximately 12,000 people. More than 6,500 of which were student competitors. Attendance this year was 58% male and 39% female overall (of those reporting). Of those attending, 75% were High School students and 25% were College/Post-Secondary students.

Attendance of State Champions for the Telecommunication Cabling Contest included 3 College/Post-Secondary and 13 High School students. Down from prior years and concerns of new location/national illness also kept others at home. Although, 5 of the contestants in attendance (30%) were girls! The national Telecommunication Cabling Contest consists of a resume submittal and a new NLSC Professional Development evaluation prior to attending the live NLSC. Upon arrival on Tuesday, the contestants had an afternoon of orientation and the customary Cabling/Termination and Testing Technician (TTT) written test along with the Customer Service Specialist (CSS) written test are administered. Wednesday provided a chance to see the contest floor and attend the optical fiber cabling orientation and practice. Thursday was contest day. It entailed contestants in contest clothing attire, tool kit evaluation and overview of the six stations of the contest: Oral Professional Assessment, Copper Cable Construction, Copper Cable Troubleshooting, Fiber Cable Construction & Troubleshooting, Cable Installation and Cable Termination.

The Oral Professional Assessment consisted of a Zoom interview with one of the off-site contest team N.E.T. members. Copper Cable construction had the contestants building and splicing CAT6 and coaxial cable jumpers. Troubleshooting had 25 situations of evaluation. Fiber Cable Construction had the students build a multimode jumper and evaluation. Cable Installation and Cable Termination required the contestants to pull, place and punch down cabling on a wall, overhead tray and rack.

The NLSC and Telecommunications Contest Team have many outstanding personnel that made this year’s contest happen. A unique summer required much adaptation to the normal NLSC procedures and team for the Atlanta attendance. Stanly Community College had Mr. Brandon Crump and Mr. Caleb Herrin in attendance and Mr. Jeff Swaringen remote Zoom/email/phone attendance. Corning Incorporated had Mrs. DeDe Starnes and Mr. Shane Brittain on site. ETA® International had Mr. David Weaver, CSS and Mr. Joe Maher, DVE, CSM, CSS in attendance. Contest day had EDLEN’s vice president, Mr. Mike Wilcox, who helped with contest set-up and added to the contest success by supplying judges: Mr. Greg Austin from Action Electrical and Mechanical Contractors Mr. Collins Huntington from White Electrical Co. Summer assistance included Mr. Rich Booth staying in Arizona and Mrs. Teresa Maher, CSS in Indiana.

Champions of this year’s Telecommunications Cabling Contest for College/Post-Secondary include: Azriella Roland (Bronze), Tyler Tolbert (Silver), and Mariam Tanas (Gold). Champions for High School include: Finn Christensen Kraft (Bronze), Brianna Melton (Silver), and Kaden McCuistion (Gold).

The 2023 contest will also be in Atlanta, Georgia with the Telecommunications Cabling Contest personnel being informed that a new location will house the annual summer footprint. News about more corporate volunteers and input/participation will be further developed this fall. More information to come.

About ETA - Founded in 1978 by electronics technicians, ETA^® International is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) association whose mission is to represent and support the technical professional. ETA offers over 90 accredited, vendor-neutral certification programs in a variety of technology fields such as fiber optics, communications, electronics, biomedical, smart home, and renewable energy.

ETA aligns with the ISO 17024 standard, vocational and education curriculums, and businesses’ resource initiatives through certification programs, conferences, and publications. Download ETA's Certification Booklet to see how ETA can help your career, business, or school. www.etai.org

Download this press release at – https://www.etai.org/pr/2022_Another_Year_at_SkillsUSA_in_the_Books.pdf