Visiting students to build futures but apparently not air conditioners

By Peter Rugg in Out & About

Wed., Jun. 24 2009 @ 2:42PM

Ever wonder what it would be like if Lowe's put on a carnival? Hey Johnny, you know what's more fun than riding the tilt-a-whirl? Building the tilt-a-whirl with your own Craftsman hammer! Lumber's this way. ... That's what visiting the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference was like today (and will be like through Friday).

According to the SkillsUSA Web site, more than 14,000 students, teachers and education leaders are swarming downtown. That includes reps from 1,100 national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions. Every one of these people are wearing red blazers, by the way, just in case you've been around 13th Street, scratching your head over why someone would dress like that in 92 degree heat.

For a lot of these kids the conference seems like a good opportunity. One told us that by winning some of the contests -- broken up into skill sets like computer-aided drafting, precision machining and electronics -- can give them a foot in the door to their chosen industry, or at best a job offer. You can't help but wish them the best.

But man, do the games suck. One tent featured nail driving. Another had a fastest-ratchet competition.

In all fairness, there was a sweet-looking ramp, but it was just too damn hot to stick around to see who or what would be u

sing it. Chances are, they're building a solar-powered rocket sled for the job right now.

Tags: SkillsUSA