SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference slated for April 7-8

KEWAUNEE COUNTY – The 53rd annual SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference will be held in Madison on Tuesday, April 7 - Wednesday, April 8. Competitions will take place at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, and Madison Area Technical College (MATC), 1701 Wright St. The Opening and Awards ceremonies will take place in the Alliant Energy Center’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum, while the competitions will be held in the Exhibition Hall as well as at MATC.

The 2026 conference will feature more than 1,750 middle, high school, and college/post-secondary students, including Kewaunee High School’s chapter, with business and industry representation from over 100 companies and over 300 volunteers, technical chairs and judges.

The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 7, with competition set up and event briefings held throughout the day. The State Championships will commence on April 8 at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. All contests are conducted under the direction of industry experts, trade associations and labor organizations, testing competencies that are set to industry standards.
The Closing Ceremony, including the presentation of awards, will start at 6:30 p.m. The first-place winners will go on to compete in the National SkillsUSA Championships, June 1-5 in Atlanta, Ga.

The public is encouraged to attend the SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Championships at no cost.

Founded in 1973, Wisconsin SkillsUSA added 14 new chapters in the 2025 school year, bringing the total to 166 high school and middle school Wisconsin secondary chapters. A partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure America has the skilled workforce needed to stay competitive, the SkillsUSA diverse talent pipeline covers more than 110 trades, technical and skilled service occupations, mostly related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

More than 200 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions support Wisconsin SkillsUSA. Programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials.

Helping each student excel and as a solution to shrinking the skills gap, SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.

SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce by developing framework skills, including personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. The SkillsUSA mission is built upon — and its success depends on — the commitment of members and partners to the following values: integrity, respect, responsibility, citizenship and service.

For more information on the State Leadership and Skills Conference, visit www.skillsusa-wi.org or email wisconsinskillsusa@gmail.com.