District Qualifying Events
SkillsUSA Massachusetts hosts six District Conferences to determine the competitors for the Massachusetts SkillsUSA Championships. The conferences are held in late February to early March at selected locations in each district. To be eligible, a student must be a paid-in-full SkillsUSA member in good standing. In addition, all financial obligations the chapter has to the state must be paid-in-full (see Fiscal Policy and Procedures in Chapter 2).
The District Competition consists of a written SkillsUSA Employment Skills test and a written trade knowledge test. The Cosmetology Under 500, Esthetics and Nail Care models are not required to attend. Models may be chosen after the district SkillsUSA Championships. Please refer to the SkillsUSA Massachusetts Contest Details reference document, which can be found in the Chapter Advisor’s Handbook HERE for information on participation, entry requirements and submission details.
Each chapter is eligible to place three competitors in each skill category. The exception to the rule is 100% sections. If a program has 100% membership, four competitors may be entered in the contest. The fourth competitors attends the conference at half the cost. There will be a maximum of 12 high school competitors per event at the state level. In most cases, the top two qualifying scores, per district, will advance to the Massachusetts SkillsUSA Championships.
Qualifying Details
7:00am–4:00pm Exams are open (each District's exams are open on the date specified for the event)
2.5 hours is allotted to each contestant once an exam is open. Exams must be taken at school in a supervised environment
Suggested Elements of a Successful/Engaging Qualifying Event
Element 1: Opening Session/Welcome
Open the day's events in your Chapter on your District Qualifying day with a ceremony/celebration that includes showing the state provided Opening Ceremony video and instruction to contestants. Be creative!
Element 2: Decorating/Festive Environment
Decorate for the day's events in your Chapter on your District Qualifying day. Be creative!
Element 3: Contestant Preparation/Success
Please tell us how your Chapter will support contestants to succeed. Be creative!
REQUIRED: Chapters receiving mini grants must provide contestants with the state issued Employability/Safety study Guide.
Element 4: Dress for Success
Encourage contestants to "dress for success" on your District Qualifying day. Be creative!
*It is suggested contestants wear one of the following: Official dress, business casual and if possible, Chapter provided polo shirts or tee shirts or some other unifying dress.
Element 5: Attendance/Participation
Take steps to ensure participation of the REGISTERED contestants. Be creative!
Strive for at least 90% participation of registered contestants.
Element 6: Post Competition Social/Celebration
Celebrate the contestants at the conclusion of the testing. Be creative!
Ideas: ice cream/dessert social, lunch, general session
Element 7: Photos/Promotion
Promote the District qualifying event. Be creative!
Conference Costs
The cost for the conference includes the following items:
Exam HUB & scoring system
Name tags, participation certificates for all participants and mailing of individual school assets
Gold, silver and bronze medals for the top three finalists in each area (Secondary & Post-Secondary)
State Officer Candidate Awards
Consumable items for presentation of Individual school assets
Development of written exams in all trade areas and test development platform
Mini grants to selected schools
The 2025 conference cost are:
$50.00 per student (contestants, state officer candidates)
$0.00 per adult (teacher, administrator)
Dates and Locations
The individual dates and locations can be found in the Calendar of Events. Please consult the District Schools tab in the main menu for the district your chapter will participate in.
Conference Registration
Please see registration instructions and worksheet contained in the “Registration Tools” folder on your Advisor’s Handbook.
All registration for this conference will be accomplished through the SkillsUSA Massachusetts registration and member services site.
