Make the Most of Your SkillsUSA Experience.
The Student Resources page brings together the programs, opportunities, forms, and information SkillsUSA Massachusetts members need throughout the year. Explore ways to get involved, build your leadership and career-ready skills, apply for recognition and opportunities, access important forms, and discover everything available to help you make the most of your SkillsUSA experience.
STUDENTS
Scholarships, Study Guides, & Applications
Explore our Forms & Resources to find the materials you need for scholarships, recognitions, applications, submissions, and other SkillsUSA Massachusetts opportunities. From getting started to completing required paperwork, these resources are designed to help make each process easier to navigate.
Career Essentials
SkillsUSA Career Essentials: Experiences is the next-generation employability skill-building curriculum developed for today’s students. SkillsUSA Career Essentials: Experiences is everything you need to give your students what they need to be career-ready.
While SkillsUSA Career Essentials: Foundations builds awareness, SkillsUSA Career Essentials: Experiences takes students to the next level of demonstration within the SkillsUSA learning continuum. It prepares students for the transition to the workforce or higher education through authentic project-based experiences. The online curriculum empowers teachers with high-quality skill development resources and advances the impact of the SkillsUSA Framework.
SkillsUSA Career Essentials: Experiences has 15 project-based learning experiences that contextualize the essential elements of the SkillsUSA Framework in real-world situations. There are nine fundamental experiences that can be completed within one academic year but can be extended or shortened to meet local needs. In addition, the curriculum has five advanced experiences and a capstone experience that can be completed within an academic year.
Each experience spans two to three weeks and includes a 30-minute, instructor-led entry experience. This is followed by student-led, individual or group project modules to provide just-in-time, bite-sized learning. Instructors have the flexibility to adapt each experience to the local context.
All of the resources are delivered digitally through an e-learning site that provides:
24/7 access for students and instructors on computers, tablets, or smartphones
Turnkey tools and resources for instructors
A built-in grading and badging system
A learning community for instructors to share best practices and additional tools and resources
Jump into STEM! gives SkillsUSA members the opportunity to introduce elementary and middle-school students to STEM-related careers through engaging, hands-on learning experiences.
The program creates a bridge between STEM, skilled careers and career and technical education. SkillsUSA members help younger students explore career pathways while strengthening their own leadership, communication and professional skills.
Activities are designed to create meaningful career exploration experiences while allowing SkillsUSA members to share their knowledge, skills and enthusiasm with younger students.
Supported through State Farm as a special project of the SkillsUSA Foundation, the Jump into STEM! curriculum provides 44 interactive sessions designed to introduce elementary students to STEM careers, career clusters and SkillsUSA.
Chapter members introduce themselves, facilitate activities, share occupational and career-cluster information, and discuss their own SkillsUSA experiences. Each session includes a hands-on learning activity and review questions.
Sessions focus on 11 career clusters, with STEM concepts incorporated throughout the curriculum. Each session is designed to last approximately 20 minutes but can be adapted to local needs.
Preparing for and facilitating Jump into STEM! gives members the opportunity to practice several Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework.
Chapters may facilitate one session to introduce career exploration or provide multiple sessions to expose younger students to a wider range of career pathways.
Jump into STEM! may also be incorporated into a Chapter Excellence Program application. Curriculum materials provide examples of goals, plans of action and results that can help chapters document their work.
The program can support any of the three SkillsUSA Framework components depending on chapter goals and is available as a free member benefit through SkillsUSA Professional Membership.
HP LIFE e-Learning is a free, peer-reviewed online training program designed for students, entrepreneurs and small-business owners who want to develop practical business and information technology skills.
Courses are modular, interactive and relevant to today's business environment. Most courses take approximately 30 minutes to complete and combine information with practical exercises.
- Use it as a resource for high-school or community-college entrepreneurship and business courses.
- Incorporate courses into an entrepreneurship club or program.
- Use HP LIFE to support preparation for the SkillsUSA Entrepreneurship Business Planning competition.
- Help technical students explore how to start and operate a business.
- Use courses for professional development related to starting or growing a business.
Serving as a Voting Delegate
Serving as a Voting Delegate gives SkillsUSA members the opportunity to represent their peers and take an active role in the student-led business of the organization. Delegates participate in official meetings, consider issues that help guide SkillsUSA, and contribute to the election of student leaders at the state or national level. Explore the opportunities below to learn more about serving as a State Voting Delegate or representing Massachusetts as a National Voting Delegate.
State Executive Council Candidacy
Serving as a SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Officer gives members the opportunity to represent students across the Commonwealth while building leadership, communication, and professional skills. Explore what it takes to become a State Officer, the responsibilities and opportunities that come with the role, and how to begin the candidate process.
Non-Traditional Career Portfolio
SkillsUSA Massachusetts encourages members to help younger students explore the wide range of opportunities available through career and technical education. The Non-Traditional Career Portfolio challenges chapters to create and present a workshop for middle-school students that builds awareness of non-traditional career pathways and highlights the opportunities available through high-skill, high-wage careers.
Through the project, SkillsUSA members combine research, communication, creativity, marketing, and hands-on learning to develop an engaging career-awareness experience. Chapters then document their work in a portfolio that demonstrates how the workshop was planned, delivered, and received by its audience.
All SkillsUSA Massachusetts chapters are encouraged to participate and use the experience to introduce younger students to career pathways they may not have previously considered.
The workshop should create awareness of non-traditional career programs, encourage middle-school students to consider these pathways, and explore the opportunities and benefits available through high-skill, high-wage careers.
Participants should have the opportunity to gather and understand information about non-traditional careers. Chapters may incorporate career data, stories of successful professionals, career opportunities, benefits and other relevant information.
The completed workshop must be presented to a group of middle-school students prior to the State Leadership & Skills Conference.
The workshop should be approximately one to two hours in length.
Each chapter must incorporate at least one visual presentation format. Examples may include flip charts, presentation slides, videos or other digital and physical visual materials.
The project must include at least one piece of marketing material that promotes or reinforces the goals of the workshop. Examples may include a brochure, flyer, handbook, poster or similar resource.
Include at least one activity that actively engages the audience, such as a game, icebreaker, skit or scenario. The activity should reinforce the workshop's focus on non-traditional participation in high-skill, high-wage careers.
Chapters are encouraged to be creative while keeping the central goal of career awareness at the heart of the experience.
Participating chapters should compile a portfolio created by student members that documents the development, presentation and impact of the workshop.
Include a minimum four-page, double-spaced report summarizing the workshop. Explain why the format was selected, identify the target audience, describe the objectives and methods used, identify participating members, and explain the impact of the presentation.
Include copies or documentation of each piece of material used during the workshop, including visuals, marketing materials, interactive activities and informational resources.
Include additional references, information about guest speakers, contacts, research or other materials used to develop and conduct the workshop.
Include enough detail for someone who was not involved in developing the original workshop to understand how a similar experience could be planned and presented.
The completed portfolio should be submitted in a three-ring binder. The first inside page should clearly identify the submitting chapter and the student members involved in developing the portfolio.
The portfolio must also be accompanied by the official submission form with all required information completed.
Entries received by the deadline will be considered for Career Awareness in the 21st Century recognition presented during the State Leadership & Skills Conference.
Submitted workshops may also be used by advisors and SkillsUSA Massachusetts staff in future programs when appropriate.
OPEN SUBMISSION FORMPortfolios are evaluated by business and industry partners. Judges consider both the quality of the workshop itself and the documentation included in the completed portfolio.
Workshop
- Construction, organization, originality and creativity
- Use of visuals
- Learning component and information presented
- Interactive activity and connection to the topic
- Plan of action and presentation
Portfolio
- Organization according to requirements
- Quality and completeness of the written report
- Creativity and impact of marketing materials
- Additional supporting materials, references and contacts
Design Competitions
SkillsUSA Massachusetts Design Competitions give members the opportunity to create artwork that represents our organization at the state and national level. Through the State T-Shirt Design, National T-Shirt Design, and State Pin Design competitions, students combine creativity, branding, and visual communication to develop designs that celebrate SkillsUSA Massachusetts and may be selected for official use throughout the year.
SkillsUSA Pathful
SkillsUSA Pathful is an all-in-one digital platform that connects members with career exploration, work-based learning, and SkillsUSA resources. Students can explore careers through virtual job shadows, industry-led experiences, and real-world projects, while advisors can access curriculum, member benefits, assessments, Career Essentials, and other tools that support career readiness.
SkillsUSA Massachusetts SkillSync
SkillSync – Your Gateway to Apprenticeship Success! SkillSync is a program of SkillsUSA Massachusetts, dedicated to empowering student members by facilitating access to Massachusetts Registered Apprenticeship and Union Apprenticeship programs within our extensive Partner Network.
