MARLBOROUGH — The Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA) is pleased to announce that the association recently heard a presentation from the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Executive Council regarding the Council’s recent trip to Washington, D.C.
The presentation was given at MAVA’s general membership meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough.
Members of the State Executive Council who spoke included:
- Jaidyn Craig, State President, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School
- Elizabeth Hughes, State Vice President, Greater Lowell Technical High School
- Kayla Mathieu, State Secretary, Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School
- Hunter Claflin, National High School Parliamentarian, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School
SkillsUSA Massachusetts Executive Director Karen Ward was also present and commended for the work she does as part of the organization.
The trip to Washington, D.C., which was financially supported by MAVA, was part of the SkillsUSA Washington Leadership Training Institute (WLTI) from Sept. 17-21.
During the trip, SkillsUSA Massachusetts students joined their counterparts from across the country and visited Congress and had the opportunity to meet with elected officials, including Associate Deputy Secretary of Labor Nikki McKinney.
Students talked to elected officials and staff members about their education paths and career technical education training programs, the value of CTE, and the benefits of SkillsUSA. They discussed the importance of career readiness skills in the modern workplace and how SkillsUSA develops these skills in students of all ages and backgrounds.
The overall goal of the meeting was to begin brainstorming ways for SkillsUSA Massachusetts to partner with the Department of Labor for workforce development and to close the skills gap. Students and staff plan to meet at a later date to continue brainstorming and to finalize the plans.
Students also took an electric car tour, visited the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, toured the Naval Museum, toured the Capitol, participated in a CTE rally at the Capitol and more.
“This trip provided us the opportunity to learn and grow, ultimately becoming better workers, leaders and citizens,” President Jaidyn Craig said. “We are extremely grateful to the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators for supporting this trip and helping to give us such an impactful, real-world experience that we will always remember.”
About the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators
MAVA is a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for high-quality vocational-technical and agricultural education. The Association includes 59 member schools, including regional vocational technical high schools, agricultural schools, independent schools, city vocational schools, an educational collaborative, academic high schools, and comprehensive high schools. All offer at least one state-approved Chapter 74 vocational technical education program. To learn more, click here.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled.
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