They've got skills
NIC students Neil Huber, left, Caden Smidt and Bryce Tellinghusen took top 10 awards in their divisions at the national SkillsUSA Championships June 22 and 23 in Atlanta, Ga. /Cal DeHaas, North Idaho College
North Idaho College students brought home top 10 awards in their divisions from the national SkillsUSA Championships June 22 to 23 in Atlanta, Ga.
Neal Huber from Rathdrum took the third-place bronze medal in the Auto Refinishing competition.
Bryce Tellinghusen from Spokane Valley took fifth place in the Collision Repair competition.
Caden Smidt, a dual-enrolled NIC student from Kootenai Technical Educational Campus and Coeur d’Alene High School, took ninth place in the Auto Refinishing competition.
The NIC students were three of more than 6,500 career and technical education students from across the U.S. who qualified for and competed in the national championships, according to SkillsUSA.
NIC students have competed in SkillsUSA’s regional and national competitions for the past 20 years. NIC partners with local industry organizations and employers to host local competitions for regional college and high school students in preparation for SkillsUSA competitions.
NIC Autobody and Paint Technology Associate Professor Cal DeHaas said the competitions help bring out the best in students.
“SkillsUSA nationals and all the competitions leading up to it give our students an idea of what actually working in their field is like,” DeHaas said. “It introduces them to the stress, pressure and rewards of working in the industries they’re studying.”