Ankeny, Iowa — Students from Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon did well in a competition recently.
Students from NCC competed in the 2016 Iowa State SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny last weekend.
We talked to NCC Automotive Service Technology instructor Chuck Ball, and he told us what SkillsUSA is all about.
He tells us why students participate.
Some students did very well, he says.
Ball says about 20 students went to the state competition in Ankeny, and a number of those received accolades for their work.
NCC students received four gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.
The following students are those that competed and placed first, second and third at the State SkillsUSA Contests. (Those marked with a * are advancing to the National Competition)
Automated Manufacturing Technology
*1st Place – Zachary Dreyer, Marcus; Mitchell Dahl, Swea City; Christian Krejci, Spencer
2nd Place – Daniel Baker, Hull; Luis Dominguez, Hawarden; Matthew Van Roekel, Orange City
Automotive Service Technology – High School
*1st Place – Jordan Walhof, Rock Valley
Diesel Equipment Technology – Post-Secondary
2nd Place – Alex Ohling, Rock Rapids
Diesel Equipment Technology – High School
*1st Place – Dylan Noyes, Sibley
3rd Place – Trey Kroeze, Orange City
Technical Drafting – Post-Secondary
2nd Place – Nicholas Mathies, Spirit Lake
Welding Fabrication – Post-Secondary
3rd Place – Justin Frederick, Cleghorn; Braxton Malchow, Fostoria; Tyler Reulan, Milford
Welding Art/Sculpture – Post-Secondary
*1st Place – Daniel Elgersma, Sanborn
2nd Place – Micah Kats, Rock Valley
NCC is proud to have 2 students on the State Officers Team:
Zachary Dreyer, Marcus, Post-Secondary President
Nicholas Mathies, Spirit Lake, Post-Secondary Vice President
NCC SkillsUSA Advisor, Ryan Steffen serves on the SkillsUSA Iowa Board of Directors and was re-elected to the Board. Ryan was also recognized for his three years of service on the Board.
NCC SkillsUSA Advisor, Mark Steinle, was a Technical Committee Judge this year for the Automotive Service Technology Contest.
More than 400 students competed at the state level for the opportunity to represent the state of Iowa at the National Leadership and Skills Conference. At the national level of the SkillsUSA Championships, over 4,600 students compete in 80 occupational and leadership skill areas.
SkillsUSA programs help to establish industry standards for job skill training in the lab and classroom, and promote community service. SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is also cited as a “successful model of employer-driven youth development training program” by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The mission of SkillsUSA is an applied method of instruction for preparing America’s high performance workers in public career and technical programs. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communication skills. It emphasizes total quality at work: high ethical standards, superior work skills, life-long education, and pride in the dignity of work. SkillsUSA also promotes understanding of the free-enterprise system and involvement in community service.
Each year NCC has consistently brought home awards and several national qualifiers from state SkillsUSA competition. For more information on SkillsUSA, or about any of the more than 40 programs offered at Northwest Iowa Community College, contact us by calling 712-324-5061 or 1-800-352-4907, email at studentservices@nwicc.edu, or visit our website at nwicc.edu.
