The Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology School of Transportation and Heavy Equipment hosted the State Skills Competition, giving students from across Oklahoma an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and win a spot in the SkillsUSA Championships.

Fifty-seven high school-age CareerTech and postsecondary school students participated in the competitions in the Donald W. Reynolds Technology Center’s GM Lab on April 20. The competitors qualified for the state competition by placing in the top two of their regional skills competition. Seven regional skills competitions are held across Oklahoma, according to Phillip Bueno, transportation program specialist for Oklahoma CareerTech.

“The purpose of this competition is to showcase the skills and talents of the students. They work all year long honing their skills, working on vehicles, and we're here at the state level after regionals to see who's the best of the best and who we're going to send to nationals,” Bueno said.

All of the competitions during the event are automotive-based, including steering and suspension, electrical, engine repair, engine performance, brakes, steering, suspension and HVAC, according to Bueno.

The competition gives students hands-on validation of their technical skills, fosters professional networking with industry leaders and boosts self-esteem, according to Mark Gibble, assistant dean of the School of Transportation and Heavy Equipment.

Hosting the competition provides OSUIT the opportunity to have the best students and their instructors from throughout Oklahoma on campus, Gibble said.

“It gives OSUIT an opportunity to network with instructors and possibly make an impression on a young person who may want to be an OSUIT student in the future,” he said.

OSUIT has a wide range of facilities and equipment to support its various technical programs. Such accommodations are well-suited for the State Skills Competition.

“It makes it very easy for us because you guys have all the lifts, you have all the tools that we have,” Bueno said.

The state and regional skills competitions are part of SkillsUSA. Oklahoma is the second-largest SkillsUSA chapter in the nation with over 18,000 members. Texas is the largest, according to Bueno.

“Then, as far as competitions go, we have everything from leadership, aviation and diesel. There's computer repair, there's robotics — just about anything you can think of falls in Skills. There's even culinary,” he said.

The high school-age and postsecondary winners of the state competition will compete in the SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta in June. The event is held in conjunction with the National Leadership and Skills Conference.