Apr. 7, 2026 5:45a
(WGTD)---Contingents of students from nearly a dozen mostly high schools in the WGTD listening area are on their way to Madison to compete in the annual Skills USA state competition.
The event will measure students’ knowledge in more than 60 subject area, including automated manufacturing technology and engineering.
Kristi Koschkee, a co-advisor for the Skills USA chapter at LakeView Technology Academy in Kenosha, says there’s more. "Skills USA looks at not just the technical skills. They look at the soft skills," Koschkee says. "That's what industries and companies are saying that students lack. So Skills USA is trying to bridge that gap."
Koschkee describes the Skills USA chapter at LakeView as the school’s premier club.
LakeView student Shelly Nash, a former home schooler who joined the club soon after arriving at LakeView, now serves as the USA Skills president for the state. She says the group has helped her grow. "I was a very shy girl. I didn't know what I wanted to do," she said.
Her path--at least at the moment--is clear. The LakeView senior plans to seek a degree in civil engineering at the University of Kentucky and then go for a Master’s degree in business administration.
Winners at this week's competition in Madison will move on to a national event that’ll be held this summer in Atlanta.,
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