SCVTHS Carpentry Instructor Gerald Mazzetta, a representative from Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, SCVTHS Teamworks gold medalists Warren Cooney (Martinsville), Rocco Coppola (Branchburg), Brendon Grunder (Manville), Erik Bielanski-Ziminski (Hillsborough) and another Milwaukee representative stand for a photo after the completion of the 2021 New Jersey SkillsUSA Championships Teamworks competition.
County vocational technical school students throughout New Jersey took home 176 medals, including 65 gold medals in both virtual and in-person competition during the 2021 New Jersey SkillsUSA Championships in April.
The SkillsUSA New Jersey Championships feature career competition events showcasing the top career and technical education students from high schools across the state.
The winners now advance to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in June, which is being held virtually this year. During the conference, more than 6,000 career and technical education students will showcase their talents and compete in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields.
All contests are run with the help of employers, trade associations, and labor organizations, with test competencies set by their respective industries.
“SkillsUSA, and other career and technical student organizations, provide valuable leadership opportunities, as well as a forum for students to demonstrate their competency in hands-on, skills-based activities,” said Judy Savage, the executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Technical Schools. “We value all businesses, unions and others who volunteer their time to judge these competitions and support our students.”
Students from Gloucester County Institute of Technology brought home the most first place awards, earning 13 gold medals. Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools was a close second with 12 gold medals.
Other districts that took home gold medals were: Bergen County Technical Schools (2), Camden County Technical Schools (3), Cape May County Technical High School (1), Cumberland County Technical Education Center (4), Essex County Schools of Technology (3), Hudson County Schools of Technology (3), Hunterdon County Vocational School District (1), Mercer County Technical Schools (3), Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools (3), Monmouth County Vocational School District (2), Morris County School of Technology (6), Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools (5), Salem County Vocational Technical School (1), Sussex County Technical School (2) and Union County Vocational Technical Schools (1).
County vocational technical school districts also took home 62 silver medals and 49 bronze medals. All medal winners are eligible to compete in the national competition.
