SkillsUSA Minnesota State Conference Information 
The 43rd Annual Minnesota SkillsUSA Championships Conference will be held on Friday, April 9th, Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11th , 2010. The conference will be housed at the Sheraton Hotel South, 7800 Normandale Boulevard, Bloomington, MN 55435, and (952) 835-7800. Skill Contests will be held across the metro area. Buses will be available to transport students to and from most events. NEW!!! UPDATED for 2010 Table of Contents: ITEM 1 - CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE* Each student who attends the conference should participate in at least one competitive event and must attend all scheduled activities at the conference. * ONE ADVISOR MUST ACCOMPANY EVERY 10 STUDENTS ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE. Chapter advisors should assume the responsibility of seeing that students report to the competitive events they have registered for and that rules of conduct are maintained. Students may not stay at the hotel without an accompanying advisor.
^Top
ITEM 2 - RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COMPETITIVE EVENTS* All participants must be paid up active members of State and National SkillsUSA as of February 2, 2010. * Students must compete in the contest area that aligns with their occupational objective for the current school year. * Participants may enter (1) skill contest and (3) general contests as long as they can work it into their schedule. This is excluding Mechanics Dexterity, Job Interview and all team events. Please remind students that they are eligible for only one national contest regardless of how many contests they win at the state level. IF A STUDENT WISHES TO COMPETE IN MORE THAN (1) SKILLED CONTEST AREA- ADVISOR MUST RECEIVE PRIOR APPROVAL FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR BEFORE SIGNING–UP!
STUDENTS MUST BE PRESENT AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY OR FORFEIT ANY MEDALLION
TROPHY AND THE RIGHT TO ATTEND THE NATIONAL COMPETITION. ^Top
ITEM 3 - REGISTRATION FOR CONFERENCE
* Please register each student attending the conference by using the enclosed registration form. Registration is due February 12th, 2010. * Registration fees are $85.00 per person. Registration fees include registration materials, supplies, awards, bus service, entertainment, the Awards Breakfast, etc.
* Make checks payable to SkillsUSA Minnesota. Chapter advisors are responsible for picking up their chapter registration materials at the registration table at the Sheraton Hotel on Friday, April 9th, 2010. Please Mail Conference Registration Form to:
Jennifer Polz, Executive Director
SkillsUSA Minnesota
P.O. Box 29286
Minneapolis, MN 55429Or FAX FORMS INTO the STATE OFFICE@: 763-560-1936 DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 12th, 2010 ^Top ITEM 4 - HOTEL REGISTRATIONHotel Rates PER ROOM, PER NIGHT for 2010 Conference
2010 ROOM RATE:
$107.00 x 14.275% tax = $122.27 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT FOR ONE OR TWO PEOPLE IN A ROOM $126.00 x 14.275% tax = $143.99 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT FOR THREE PEOPLE IN A ROOM ($48.00 per person) $132.00 x 14.275% tax = $150.84 PER ROOM, PER NIGHT FOR FOUR PEOPLE IN A ROOM ($37.71 per person)
The hotel will not guarantee room types. If you request a double due to three or four people in a room you may get a king with a roll away or a pull out sofa.)
“NEW” The Hotel Reservation Form is in an Excel Spreadsheet this year directly from the Hotel. To ensure a smooth reservation process they ask that all Conference Attendees use this form. Please send this directly to the Reservations Manager by E-mail to Carey Gartner at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Please use the Hotel-School Template Hotel Reservation form for the Sheraton Hotel South-Bloomington.
NOTE: The Sheraton Hotel’s credit policy. Please be advised that they will no longer extend credit for hotel services on the strength of a Purchase Order only. Please use he Provided CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION FORM – that is attached. This document will be faxed to a Secured Fax Number in the accounting department at the hotel.
NOTE: MAILED in Applications will NOT BE accepted and will be discarded upon RECEIPT without Notification. Please contact the State SkillsUSA Office if you have questions.
Thank You!
A. The hotel must receive room reservation by March 10, 2010. The hotel will only accept reservations following that date, on a first come, first serve basis as long as rooms are available. B. Advisors are responsible for registering students and must accompany their group when checking in. Advisors are responsible for checking out their groups and payment of their hotel bill and incidental charges. C. Please call the hotel to confirm your reservations before you arrive. This should avoid problems and changes when you arrive at the hotel to check in. DEADLINE: March 10, 2010 ^Top ITEM 5 - REGISTRATION, PERSONAL and LIABILITY RELEASE FORMS & CODE OF CONDUCT “NEW” To insure that the major objectives of our Skill Conference are met, all participants, including advisors, will be required to adhere to a ( MSC/NLSC1 Form) Code of Conduct and ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST SIGN the Registration, Personal and Liability Release Form of the Minnesota Association of SkillsUSA. Medical and Insurance Information is requested in case of an emergency on this new form. Photocopy the enclosed form; (both sides) get appropriate signatures and information from each person attending the conference. Please mail or fax them in with your registration materials or bring them to the registration table at the conference. These forms must be in turned in before you can receive your registration materials. ^Top
ITEM 6 - REFUNDS Refunds will be extended only in the event of extenuating circumstances. Contact the Executive Director in advance of the conference if you are in doubt. No Refunds after: March 9, 2010 ^Top
ITEM 7 - HOTEL POOL The hotel has a swimming pool. Encourage students to bring swimsuits. A reminder--SkillsUSA members will be subject to the same "Pool Rules" as other guests of the hotel.
^Top
ITEM 8 - CONFERENCE OBSERVERS Observers must officially register and pay registration fees- $30.00, follow all the rules and regulations of the conference, and be chaperoned by an adult advisor.
^Top
ITEM 9 - CONFERENCE GUESTS Advisors or students who wish to have a guest attend the Conference must register those guests by March 1, 2010. For $25.00, paid in advance, a guest will receive a name badge that will allow them entrance to the hypnotist show on Friday, the auction and dance on Saturday and the breakfast and awards on Sunday. Use the enclosed Guest Registration form for advanced registration. Limited guest passes will be available at the conference for $30.00 through the alumni committee. No guest passes will be sold at conference headquarters.
^Top
ITEM 10 - AWARDS FOR COMPETITIVE EVENTS First (gold), second (silver), and third (bronze) place medallion will be awarded for each competitive event. It is mandatory that all people registered will attend the awards ceremony. Students not present will forfeit any award, medallion, and the right to compete at the national level. If a student has a legitimate excuse for not attending the ceremony, the Executive Director must be notified in writing, in advance and an alternate student selected to attend to receive any awards that might be earned. Please provide the Executive Director with the name of the alternate. ADVISORS: Please remember that Students and Advisors should dress in Official Dress or Professional Business attire for the Awards Ceremony! NO JEANS, T-Shirts or TENNIS SHOES are allowed! Let’s show our Business/Industry Partners, School Administrators, Family and Friends – that we are a First Class Organization. We are “Champions at Work”!
^Top
ITEM 11 - CONTEST REGISTRATION Due to limited equipment and space at a host school, contests will have a maximum number of contestants a school can register. Please provide a local competition for your students, judged by industry; to determine which students will best represent your local chapter in each area. Codes for each contest may be downloaded here. Please mark contest codes carefully so that your students are signed up for the correct contest and that we may accurately determine the number of participants in each contest.
^Top
ITEM 12 - THEME FOR THE 2010 CONTESTS The SkillsUSA competition theme for the 2009-2010 school year is “SkillsUSA: Champions at Work — Connecting the Opportunities.” This is the theme for the Chapter Display, Prepared Speech and Promotional Bulletin Board contests. The topic to be addressed by contestants in these events is how our slogan, SkillsUSA: Champions at Work, relates to our national program of work in the area of the Professional Development. Within this topic, contestants might illustrate or discuss any of the following: How SkillsUSA’s professional development opportunities motivate students to be the best they can be in their technical skill development and in their personal and professional development How members grow professionally by connecting with educators, community leaders, and business and industry representatives. SkillsUSA connects students to education and employment opportunities How students attending SkillsUSA leadership conferences and competitions develop professionally as they make connections with other students having similar interests. Through SkillsUSA, they network across their state, region and the nation How SkillsUSA provides opportunities for students to participate in a balanced program of work in which they can practice and demonstrate leadership, technical skills, teamwork, team building, creativity and management How SkillsUSA increases productivity by cultivating a highly skilled and knowledgeable work force to meet 21st century needs How SkillsUSA is the national organization for public high school and college/postsecondary technical students enrolled in trade, technical and skilled service profession instructional programs including allied health occupations How SkillsUSA participation prepares each member for entry into the work force How each SkillsUSA member can demonstrate excellence in career and technical education How SkillsUSA represents 130 different occupational areas in its affiliated instructional programs and more than 300,000 high school and college/postsecondary members nationwide
^Top ITEM 13 - Post Secondary OPTION STUDENTS HIGH SCHOOL students registered in post secondary programs as “Option Students” are considered HIGH SCHOOL students. They should be signed up as HIGH SCHOOL members with National SkillsUSA and a note made on your registration form specifying them as HIGH SCHOOL students so that they compete on the HIGH SCHOOL level. ^Top
ITEM 14 - SPECIFIC CONTEST INFORMATION & UPDATES - "FRIDAY FLASH" The Minnesota Skills “CONTEST UPDATES” will be posted ONLY on the WEBISTE this year! EACH FRIDAY- A “FRIDAY FLASH,” E-mail will be sent out to the Advisor’s alerting them on “NEW” Contest UPDATES. We will also be using the Social Networking Sites of FACEBOOK and Twitter to reach out to students and advisors. Please start looking for UPDATES On Friday, January 29th - If no further information is received on a contest, the rules and regulations covering our contests will be based on those found in the Skills USA Championships, Technical Standards, except for clothing. State regulation regarding clothing is appropriate and safe dress for the competition you are participating in. PLEASE USE THE LATEST VERSION OF THE TECHNICAL STANDARDS – “2010” If you need a current copy of these standards you can place an order through the SkillsUSA MINNESOTA office at 763-560-1932. Or order on-line at www.skillsusa.org/store 2010 SkillsUSA Technical Standards CD-ROM Package
$19.95 2010 SkillsUSA Championships Technical Standards CD-ROM, package. Contests on the CD-ROM will list the academic skills that are embedded into the SkillsUSA Championships in math, English and science. These academic crosswalks are the result of work done through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. To help more students arrive at the SkillsUSA Championships prepared with the latest version of the contest standards, the revision cycle will be shortened to annually. This will help ensure continuous improvement in instruction and a better image for SkillsUSA and career and technical education. This CD-ROM will be featured in new packaging. A glossy folder will house not only the standards but also two bonus items: a matching poster and an extra CD holding many of the national contest projects for 2009. ORDER your TODAY!
^Top ITEM 15 - JOB SKILL DEMONSTRATION CONTEST "A" and "OPEN" If there is a National Skill Contest in the area of the job skill, the student should enter as Job Skill Demo “A”. FOR CLARIFICATION PURPOSES, ALL CURRENT NATIONAL CONTESTS ARE LISTED UNDER “ELIGILIBILITY” . If there is NO National Skill contest in the area of demonstration the student should enter the Job Skill Demo “OPEN” Contest. This contest replaces “B” area. Student demonstrations should be based on an entry-level skill in the skill area in which they are currently training.
^Top ITEM 16 – JOB INTERVIEW CONTEST All registered students may compete in the SkillsUSA Job Interview contest. Please remind your students that the sole purpose of their education is to obtain a good job. Therefore, this contest – which goes on to the National Level – is an excellent way to practice interview skills and get a resume critiqued by others. The judges of this contest are interested in seeing more college students enter this contest. Specific Contest Information will be available in February. There will be separate information for the High School and College Competitors. The following rules apply to the competition: * Contestants must apply for a job in a trade, industrial, technical, or health occupation. * Contestants must apply for a job which he or she is now qualified or will be qualified for at the completion of the current school year. * Contestants will prepare one letter of application for employment as well as four Resumes. Both the letter and the original RESUMES must be typed. * Specific contest information will be POSTED on the WEBSITE in Mid-February. Please have student paperwork ready to send when the information arrives.
^Top
ITEM 17 - WINNERS GOING ON TO NATIONAL COMPETITION There is a policy for SkillsUSA that students may enter ONLY ONE CONTEST. Please make your students aware that although they may enter more than one state contest, if they should happen to win first place in both contests, they will have to choose which one they will compete in at the National level. This does include team contests!
^Top
ITEM 18 - ADVISOR OF THE YEAR Please consider nominating advisors that you know are doing a good job with their local chapters. Deadline for Advisor of the Year applications is MARCH 1st, 2010. Application form is available on the website under the Student and Advisor Tabs- under forms. Please see that your student officers receive this information. ^Top
ITEM 19 - ALUMNI BENEFIT AUCTION The SkillsUSA Minnesota Alumni committee is again asking for donations to help with the Alumni Benefit Auction. The Alumni appreciate your donations and attendance at the auction. This auction is the major fundraiser for this group. Alumni are vital to the operation of the organization and it’s conferences. Their funds allow them to attend our conferences and help us out. Become a member and/or support their fund raising efforts. THANKS! “NEW” Contest for ALUMNI T-SHIRT DESIGN - State ONLY CONTEST Advisors: Get your Students involved in a “NEW State Only Contest”. Open to active SkillsUSA Minnesota student members (both College and High School students) enrolled in career and technical programs. The artwork will be judge by a panel of expert prior to the Opening General Session of the 43rd State Championships. The Winner will be announced on stage on Friday, April 9th, 2010 during the Opening Session, which begin at 1:00 pm. Advisors of Student Contestant and their schools will be notified in advance as Student Winner needs to be present to win. Student winner will be recognized on stage with Champion Medallion and Framed Print of t-shirt. Winning T-shirt will be on Sale immediately following the Opening General Session and through out the Championship Conference Weekend. April 9-11, 2010. (Limited quantities available) Deadline: February 2nd, 2010 ^Top
ITEM 20 - CONTEST PRIZE DONATIONS Many of you already work at obtaining prizes for our contests from your advisory committee members, suppliers and other industry partners of your programs. If you don’t, we invite you to assist in doing this. Prizes should be clearly marked as to whom they are from (name & address of donating company) and whom they should be awarded to (contest area, 1st, 2nd or 3rd on Website! place, HIGH SCHOOL or COLLEGE winners) and brought to conference headquarters on Friday, April 9. 2010. Thanks for your help. If everyone does their part, our skill contests can all have prizes! Look for the Prize Donation Form on Website!
^Top
ITEM 21 - Major Changes for the State ConferenceRESUMES WILL BE REQUIRED for ALL student competitors AT THE 2010 STATE SKILLS CONFERENCE
Major Changes for the State Conference
• ALL contestants are REQUIRED to bring a One- Page, typewritten resume for ALL Leadership, Skilled & Technical Contests – A penalty of 5 percent of the total possible points will be assessed for failure to submit a résumé."
ITEM 22 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 26th, 2010Please note – that the 1st Round of the State Conference Championships will be held on Friday, March 26th. At Alexandria Technical College in Alexandria, MN. The following Contest will be held: CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Marine Service Technology, Mechatronics,
Motorcycle Service Technology, Snowmobile Service Technology
Please note: Power Equipment Technology will also be held on Friday, March 26th
At The TORO COMPANY in Bloomington, MN. ITEM 23 - Mark your calendars for April 9th, 2010 Please note – that the following Contests are tentatively set for Friday, April 9th, 2010 at Automated Manufacturing Technology, Saint Paul College
Precision Machining Technology, Saint Paul College
Esthetics, ROCCO Altobelli Salons
Masonry, Bricklayers Apprenticeship Training Center NO Bus Transportation will be furnished for these contests on both FRIDAY’S.
PLEASE - make sure this is a positive experience for all concerned.
DO NOT register students in contests they are not adequately trained for.
Safety is a major consideration, as well as the overall impression of our industry judges. ^Top CONTEST
REGISTRATION CODES
Please download contest registration codes here.
^Top
SkillsUSA Minnesota Championships Conference
TENTATIVE AGENDA
(download .PDF here )
^Top
|
