Senior John Whitbeck wins first-place Automotive Collision medal at SkillsUSA Area IV Regional Conference

John Whitbeck,Congratulations to Senior John Whitbeck, who was one of 13 Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) students to earn a medal at the recent SkillsUSA Area IV Regional Conference held  at OU BOCES.

John won a first-place medal in the Automotive Collision category. He attends OU BOCES’ Transportation Academy.

Nearly 200 students from various high schools and BOCES facilities showcased their talents during the March 13 competition. The annual event featured students from technical schools and BOCES programs throughout the Hudson Valley competing in 30 events ranging from advertising design to welding.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, educators, and industry working together to create a skilled workforce of the future.   It’s a national student organization that teaches leadership and employability skills to help students succeed through the development of personal, workplace and technical skills that will connect them to career success.

SkillsUSA members have the opportunity to compete in their area competition to hone their skills in their journey to the state competition and for the top winners to go to nationals. This is the first year since the COVID-19 pandemic that SkillsUSA has been hosted in person.

The Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Center offers technical training programs preparing students for entry level positions in many occupations and post-secondary education.  The programs offered are available to high school students in grades 11 – 12 and meet high school graduation sequence requirements.