Champions In Action

Check out our Champions for Change in action! 

Our Pilot Sites

Champions for Change is a W.K. Kellogg grant that supports the development of our American workforce by building SkillsUSA chapters in vulnerable communities. Our six sites are:

• Austin Polytechnical Academy: Chicago, IL
• ASTRACOR: Alexandria, VA
• Blackburn Alternative Education program: Lincoln, NE
• Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences: Detroit, MI
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District: Palmer, AK
• Miami Job Corps: Miami, FL

Visit us again to read the latest news from these sites!

News from Pilot Site ASTRACOR

On June 30, the Virginia Board for Contractors approved ASTRACOR as Virginia’s first authorized Spanish-language provider of the contractor’s business license course. This 8-hour class on the basics of business, regulatory compliance and other essentials of the industry is required to obtain a valid construction contracting license in Virginia. Until now, no provider has offered this course in Spanish, even though the workforce has been transformed by an influx of immigrant workers from Latin America.

“This program has generated intense interest in the subcontractor community,” said Training Director Dave Daly, who presented the proposal to the Board for Contractors in Richmond. “Many of these small tradesmen have wanted to obtain a license for years, but their English proficiency was too limited to deal with the more technical material. This will be their chance.”

For tradesmen dealing with the language challenge, ASTRACOR offers English for Contractors. Both courses are part of a wider bilingual curriculum for aspiring small contractors: plan reading, construction estimating, marketing, and writing a business plan, among others. ASTRACOR (Asociación de Trabajadores de Construcción Residencial or the Residential Construction Workers’ Association) helps address the shortage of skilled, quality labor in construction in the DC Metro area. ASTRACOR is one of six sites nationwide chosen by Champions for Change, a SkillsUSA initiative supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System

Empowering students to succeed in meaningful careers with technical assessments and easy-to-administer programs.

Advisor Essentials Courses

Check out the seven new training modules, designed to help our Champions for Change pilot sites build successful SkillsUSA chapters.

Technical Chairs Committee Meeting Photo Album

January 22-23, 2007

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Technical Advisory Committee Meeting Photo Album

March 27, 2007

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