NORTH CANTON, Ohio – The annual Regional Skills Competition was held on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at Stark State College, in North Canton. High school students from seven local high schools and career centers participated: Akron Public School – North High School, Auburn Career Center, Lorain County Vocational Center, Medina County Career Center, Polaris Career Center, Portage County Career Center, and R.G. Drage Career Center.
The winners included:
- Overall Winner “Top Student”– Ryan Lemmon – Polaris Career Center
- Top School – Medina County Career Center
- Brazing – Ryan Lemmon – Polaris Career Center
- Electrical – Stephen Stansberry – Lorain County Vocational Center
- Sheet Metal – Anthony Hardy – Medina Career Center
- Soft Skills – Ryan Lemmon – Polaris Career Center
- Troubleshooting / Component ID – Ryan Lemmon – Polaris Career Center
- Top Student in Akron Public Schools - Kyengye Elale
- Top Student in Auburn Career Center – Anthony Surface
- Top Student in Lorain County Vocational Center – Xavier Pinto
- Top Student in Medina County Career Center – Joben Cox
- Top Student in Polaris Career Center – Ryan Lemmon
- Top Student in Portage Lakes Career Center – Tyler Rawlings
- Top Student in R. G. Drage Career Center – Hunter Cox
The Regional Skills Challenge is a competitive event showcasing the best students in the HVAC industry. The challenge gives an opportunity for students to learn and practice workplace and technical skills. There are five testing stations designed to assess skills identified by HVAC standards utilizing five testing stations to evaluate knowledge in HVAC: electrical skills, troubleshooting skills, soft skills, brazing, and sheet metal skills. Industry experts judge contestants evaluating student’s performance and training relevant to employers’ needs. Employers are encouraged to attend and observe the skills competition to see for themselves the skills demonstrated by the “Best of the Best” in the HVAC Event that started at 9:00am and a career fair followed the competition.
“These young men and women are the future of our trade and it is our responsibility to provide them with the correct skills, technology, and professionalism to keep our customers comfortable and safe,” said Regional Skills Competition co-chair Doug Carpenter. “SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled. Through SkillsUSA’s program and curricula, employers have long ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job.”
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