Education in action: Lakes Region Community College hosts statewide SkillsUSA competition

LACONIA — Students from around New Hampshire gathered at Lakes Region Community College on Friday, to take part in the SkillsUSA competition, with particular focus there on the automotive and marine industry.

Around 50 students competed in all manner of automotive technology instruction, from engineer or wiring repair, steering and suspension, brakes, electrical circuit testing or thread repair, to customer service and engineer performance diagnostics. 

Logan Ray and Gus Leifer, of Spaulding High School, in Rochester, and Dover High School, respectively, were hard at work in the quiet environment of the college’s automotive technology shop, attempting to fix eight-cylinder engines hoisted upon large tables on Friday morning. Other students inspected various aspects of Toyota Camrys lifted in adjacent bays, and yet others sat for simulated customer service interactions. 

Instructor Forrest Powers, who teaches classes at Lakes Region Community College, paced through the shop, keeping a watchful eye. To signal the start of various segments of the competition, he’d shout “all start,” and the students got to work. 

SkillsUSA is a national organization that promotes career and technical leadership and programs, Associate Professor Jamie Decato said. He’s the department chair of transportation technologies at the college.

It’s a state-level competition and students may qualify for a national competition in Atlanta, Georgia, later this summer, where they’d compete against other top performers from across the country. Students are tasked with demonstrating skills in various areas of repair. 

He said his hope is participants have a good experience demonstrating their skills, and engaging in friendly competition. 

“What you see here represents the top students in the state,” Decato said.