Canon Student Headed to National SkillsUSA Competition

A North Geogia Tech student from Canon is among a group of finalists headed to the National Skills USA competition in Kansas City, Missouri.

Eric Allen of Canon will be competing nationally in the Electrical Construction Wiring competition.  Allen was among a handful of North Georgia Tech students who placed first in their divisions in the Georgia Skills USA competition last month.

Students in a variety of study programs at North Georgia Technical College made a strong showing at the recent Georgia State SkillsUSA competition held in March, sweeping two categories and claiming first and second places in three others. 

This year, 38 students from 15 programs at the college competed and a total of 20 medals were won. 

“We are so very proud of all of our students for this extraordinary showing at the SkillsUSA competition,” said President Dr. Gail Thaxton.  “They stepped up to the plate and took the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge and performed well under pressure. We also commend our faculty for teaching them what they should know and be able to do in the workplace. Our students excel in competitions – and will excel in their jobs – because of the strength of their technical education foundation.”

In June, Allen will be among nine first place winners from North Georgia Tech who will compete in seven events at the National SkillsUSA Contest in Kansas City, Missouri.

The contests are planned by technical committees made up of representatives of labor and management in the industries and are designed to test the skills needed for a successful entry-level performance in given occupational fields. 

Safety practices and procedures – an area of great concern to labor and management alike – are judged and graded and constitute a portion of a contestant’s score.

SkillsUSA is a national career and technical student organization with chapters at high schools and colleges across the country. 

For more information on the programs of study at NGTC, contact 706-754-7700 or visit the website at www.northgatech.edu.