Wisconsin SkillsUSA Northeast Regional Competition scheduled for Appleton

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The first Wisconsin SkillsUSA regional competition in 2026 will be held on Fri., Jan. 23, at Fox Valley Technical College, 1825 N. Bluemound Drive in Appleton. More than 250 high school students from the region will compete for awards and to advance to the state level. That figure includes three Lincoln High School students.
There are more than a dozen categories in the competition, including Welding Sculpture, Welding, Automotive Service Technology, CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer, CO2 Dragster, Diesel Equipment Technology, Facilithon – Leadership in Facility Management, Job Interview, Job Skills Demonstration, Medical Math, Medical Terminology, Power Equipment Technology, Precision Machining Technology, Prepared Speech, Related Technical Math, Robotics: Urban Search And Rescue, Team Engineering Challenge and Technical Drafting.
The opening ceremonies will begin at 8:15 a.m., with the competitions from 9 a.m. to noon. Competition judging will be from noon to 1 p.m., with the award ceremonies at 1 p.m.
The regional competition will also host a Future-Ready Workforce Summit from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with lunch provided. Area business leaders, human resource directors and recruiters from across Wisconsin will participate with SkillsUSA Wisconsin team members to discuss the challenges of finding and recruiting skilled employees and how SkillsUSA Wisconsin can partner with organizations and school districts to provide a pipeline of skilled and qualified future workers.
Regional competitors will have an opportunity to advance and participate in the 53rd annual Wisconsin SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC) in Madison, Tues. April 7 and Wed., April 8. The Wisconsin SLSC — the largest hands-on workforce development event in the state — is the premier showcase of Wisconsin’s most highly skilled career and technical education students.

State competitions will take place at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way; and Madison Area Technical College (MATC), 1701 Wright St. Other competitors in a category can participate in the SLSC until the maximum number of competitors in the category is reached. Winners in all National-Qualifying Events will be invited to represent Wisconsin at the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Ga., June 1–5.
Nationally, there are 114 head-to-head skilled and leadership competitions, and the 2026 Wisconsin SkillsUSA SLSC will offer more than 60 different competitions across middle school, high school and post-secondary divisions, with more than 1,750 students participating. This is the largest showcase of career and technical education in the state, with business and industry representation from over 100 companies and over 300 volunteers, technical chairs and judges.
Founded in 1973, Wisconsin SkillsUSA added 14 new chapters in the 2025 school year, bringing the total to 166 high school and middle school Wisconsin secondary chapters. A partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure America has the skilled workforce needed to stay competitive, the SkillsUSA diverse talent pipeline covers more than 110 trades, technical and skilled service occupations, mostly related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
More than 200 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions support Wisconsin SkillsUSA. Programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials.
Helping each student excel and as a solution to shrinking the skills gap, SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.
SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce by developing framework skills, including personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. The SkillsUSA mission is built upon — and its success depends on — the commitment of members and partners to the following values: integrity, respect, responsibility, citizenship, and service.
For more information on the SkillsUSA Regional Competition in Appleton or the State Leadership and Skills Conference, visit www.skillsusa-wi.org or email wisconsinskillsusa@gmail.com.