Student to put skills to the test at competition

By Penni Schaefer

05/05/08 May 04, 2008 10:21 pm

— He’s the sole survivor and now he’s heading to Kansas.
Jeffery Harry, a senior at Crawford County Area Vocational-Technical School, was the only one of 12 talented students to place first at state-level competition recently, qualifying him for nationals.
Harry, son of Louri and Jeffery Harry Sr., competed in the employment application process, a new category for the Pennsylvania SkillsUSA District 10 competition.
The all-day event was held in the Hershey Convention Center in Hershey with about 1,300 students from across the state participating in 73 different categories such as auto refinishing technology, cosmetology, industrial motor control, electrical and more.
As a new competition, Harry didn’t quite know what to expect.
“I was kind of excited, but nervous at the same time because I wasn’t exactly sure how they would do the grading system,” he said. “No one at CCAVTS has done it before.”
The employment application process competition judged students on their job-seeking preparedness.
In addition to providing a resume, there were three additional components to the contest.
In part one, students submitted a portfolio of their work that highlighted their abilities and accomplishments relating to their technical field and awards they had received.
Part two of the competition measured contestants’ preparation for completing an employment application. Students were judged on writing legibility and how well they demonstrated their education and training.
The final part of the competition involved performing mock job interviews. Students earned points based on the their informal conversations, listening skills and their ability to express themselves to perspective employers.
According to Harry, he owes a great deal of his success in the competition to SkillsUSA Advisor Shari Wilkinson of CCAVTS.
“Mrs. Wilkinson helped me get ready for the competition,” he said. “We practiced doing employment interviewing and setting up my portfolio the way they wanted it set up.”
All of Harry’s preparation for the contest was aimed at his qualifications in the automotive technology field as if he was applying for a real job.
“Judges asked me questions about how my past training and experience would help me in getting a job in my field,” he said.
After graduating in June, Harry plans to attend New Castle School of Trade to continue his studies in automotive technology. At the completion of the program he said he’s unsure of his plans but ultimately dreams of owning his own used car dealership.
According to Wilkinson, in the past, students who have won at the national level received gold medals and other prizes such as scholarships. But the real advantage to the SkillsUSA competition is that students have the opportunity to network with people in their fields of study, which can lead to big payoffs in their employment futures.


Names of all CCAVTS students who competed in the Pennsylvania SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference
Student Contest High School Placement
Jeffery Harry Employment Application Process Meadville 1st
Ellice Ohl Promotional Bulletin Board Cochranton 3rd
Kara Hudak Promotional Bulletin Board Saegertown 3rd
Mason McAfoose Auto Refinishing Technology Meadville 4th
Angelina Communale Opening and Closing Ceremony Meadville 5th
Chelsey Coulter Opening and Closing Ceremony Meadville 5th
Danielle Lanning Opening and Closing Ceremony Cambridge Springs 5th
Erica McGuirk Opening and Closing Ceremony Linesville 5th
Ashley Pipher Opening and Closing Ceremony Meadville 5th
Lisa Wood Opening and Closing Ceremony Meadville 5th
Cody Ui Opening and Closing Ceremony Conneaut Valley 5th
Phoebe Sturey Industrial Motor Control Cochranton 9th

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.