A Career and Technical Education student from Botetourt County was awarded a certificate of accomplishment at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) held June 1-5 in Atlanta, Ga. An all-time high of 7,000 students competed in the 2026 SkillsUSA Championships at NLSC, which is the largest gathering of the future skilled workforce.
As an indicator of proficiency, Skill Point Certificates were awarded to SkillsUSA Championships competitors who met a predetermined threshold score for their respective competition. Students can add this certificate, an indicator of career readiness, to their employment portfolio.
Noel Caballero, from Fincastle and a student at Botetourt Technical Educational Center (BTEC) in Fincastle, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Welding.
To be invited to the SkillsUSA Championships, students first had to win their state-level competition, demonstrating their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills. The national competition featured state champions from middle school, high school and college/postsecondary divisions across the country in 115 hands-on career and leadership competitions including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance, public speaking, welding, and more.
The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world and covers 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres. It’s supported by leaders from 850 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions who planned and evaluated the competitors against their industry standards. More than 2,000 industry judges and technical committee members also volunteered their time to ensure a successful event.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
