HCC Students compete at SkillsUSA Competition

SkillsUSA is a state and national competition that involves over 395,000 career and technical students from college, high school, and middle school. This competition allows students to compete in technical and skilled trades in their field of study. Competitors are evaluated for their preparation for employment and are recognized for excellence and professionalism. Along with performing specific hands-on tasks in their designated field of study, students are also required to provide a resume, perform a mock interview, and complete a handwritten test in several categories.

This year, Haywood Community College attended the event with two students. These students were from the Automotive Systems and Collision Repair & Refinishing programs and were chosen based on their academic excellence and knowledge to perform well in their field.

Peter Baldasaro was chosen to represent the Collision Repair & Refinishing department. As a student that started with HCC but took a small break during his educational career, he has returned to HCC to continue his education and obtain his credentials. His focus area at the competition placed him in competition with 25 other students and he was judged in his abilities to make spot repairs, color tinting, priming and blocking, paint code identification, and masking tasks. In this very detail-oriented competition, Peter happily placed 4^th in the State and represented HCC very well.

Jody Mann was chosen to represent the Automotive Systems program. Starting with HCC as a Career & College Promise student at Pisgah High School, he continued his studies with HCC following his high school completion. Jody graduated this Spring with his Associate degree in Automotive Systems and completed against approximately 50 other students in his focus area at the competition and proudly represented HCC at the event.

Due to the many positive aspects of the SkillsUSA event, HCC plans to have students attend in 2024 that are part of the Automotive, Collision Repair, Electrical, Machining, and Industrial Systems programs. These competitions allow students to interact with other students from all over the state and gives them the opportunity to meet and interact with professionals in their chosen field while showcasing their individual skill sets.