Noah Johnson | Daily Press A student uses a multimeter to run electrical diagnostics in the automotive category of the 2025 SkillsUSA competition held at Bay College in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — Bay College hosted a group of Intermediate School District (ISD) high school students from the area on Friday for the annual SkillsUSA Regional Competition.

The competition provides state associations, advisors, and student members the opportunity to promote SkillsUSA programs at the local and state levels, while also promoting the importance of skilled trades.

The event coincides with SkillsUSA Week, an annual event celebrated by SkillsUSA chapters nationwide.

This year the theme was “Ignite Your Potential.”

“The SkillsUSA Competition being hosted at Bay College is a great showcase of area students and CTE programs that our region is fortunate to have within our communities,” said James Cousino, Bay College Dean of Business and Technology in a press release. “This event aligns with Career and Technical Education Month in February in support of education and training in high skill, high wage, and high demand occupations.”

Roughly 45 high school students competed against one another in one of three categories: welding, automotive and computer maintenance technology. There were originally 65 students registered, but inclement weather prevented students from Sault Ste. Marie from attending.

The students competed for scholarship funds, as well as the chance to move on to the statewide competition held in Grand Rapids from April 11 to 13.

Students are competing for a grand total of $14,000 in scholarships provided by Bay.

The college awards four $2,500 scholarships to students who placed first in the overall categories and four $1,000 scholarships to those who placed second in the overall categories.

“It’s an opportunity for students to really shine in their area. You know, they work hard. A lot of them choose this path as a career and for a lot of them it’s validation that they’re on the right path,” said Academic Affairs Coordinator Tina Jensen.

The all day event featured students in each category using their hands complete tasks before taking a written test.

In the automotive field, students rotate around six stations, identify parts, checking electrical wiring, diagnostics,  and completing basic maintenance tasks.

Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District auto instructor Bill Wagner said the competition is a great opportunity for the youth.

“It looks good on a resume that you competed in Skills because you’re not afraid of a challenge,” he said.

In computer maintenance, students were tasked with troubleshooting a computer system that’s not working or maybe missing parts. The students also update settings such as account lockout and password polices.

Down the road, welding students were also competing in various categories of welding such as gas tungsten arc, shield metal arc, gas metal arc and oxy-fuel welding.

Lead Welding Instructor Nick DuPont said Bay students in his senior class helped orchestrate and judge the competition.

“We’re kind of testing their skills at a high school level,” he said.

According to the SkillsUSA website, the program is the number one development organization for students.