Georgia placed second in the U.S. for the number of medals awarded at the SkillsUSA national competition in Louisville, Ky. Georgia middle school, high school and technical college students who progressed to the 2018 SkillsUSA National Conference, after winning at the state-level competition, brought home a combined total of 71 medals.

“Every year, our students are so excited to be a part of the SkillsUSA challenge to showcase the training they’ve received at one of Georgia’s technical colleges,” said Matt Arthur, Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia. “The fact that Georgia’s students placed second nationwide is a testament to the quality of talent Georgia is developing for the workforce.”

The top three TCSG college winners were Wiregrass Georgia Technical College with nine medals, followed by Gwinnett Technical College with five medals, and Albany Technical College with four medals. The Dr. John Scott Award for highest scoring individual competitor in Georgia Postsecondary went to Kellie Tucker from Wiregrass Georgia Technical College in the Medical Terminology contest. The Curtiss Bell Award for highest scoring team competitors in Georgia Postsecondary went to the Community Service team—Bridget Crudden, Amber Parton, and Blake Royals—from Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College was also named one of the 24 Model of Excellence chapters nationwide, the first Georgia postsecondary chapter to be selected. The SkillsUSA National Model of Excellence program recognizes the exceptional integration and application of personal, workplace, and technical skills for SkillsUSA chapter activities. Specifically, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College was selected as one of eight chapters to represent workplace skills and participated in several unique activities during the national conference, including a special recognition dinner with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.