Madison, WI—The final Wisconsin SkillsUSA regional competition in 2026 will be held on Thursday, Feb. 26, and Friday, Feb. 27, at the University of Wisconsin – Stout, 712 South Broadway Street, in Menomonie, WI.
More than 440 students from 41 schools will compete, including 10 students from Stanley-Boyd.
Competitions in the following categories will be held for high school students unless indicated:

Thursday, Feb. 26
• Entrepreneurship
• Job Interview (High School & Middle School)
• Job Skill Demonstration A
• Job Skill Demonstration Open
• Medical Math
• Medical Terminology
• Prepared Speech (High School & Middle School)
• Related Technical Math

Thursday, Feb. 26 & Friday, Feb. 27
• Additive Manufacturing

Friday, Feb. 27
• 3-D Printing & Design (High School & Middle School)
• Advertising Design
• Automotive Service Technology*
• Cabinetmaking
• Carpentry
• CO2 Dragster (High School & Middle School)
• Electronics Technology
• Facilithon – Leadership in Facility Management
• Mechatronics
• Photography
• Power Equipment Technology
• Precision Machining Technology
• Promotional Bulletin Board (High School & Middle School)
• Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue (High School & Middle School)
• Team Engineering Challenge (High School & Middle School)
• Technical Drafting
• Video Production
• Welding
• Welding Fabrication
• Welding Sculpture (High School & Middle School)

The Automotive Service Technology competition will be held at the CVTC – Transportation Education Center, 3810 Campus Road in Eau Claire.
The opening ceremonies will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the competitions from 9:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Competition judging will be from noon to 1 p.m., with the award ceremonies at 1 p.m.
The Regional Competition will also host a Future-Ready Workforce Summit from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. with lunch provided. Area business leaders, human resource directors, and recruiters from across Wisconsin will participate with SkillsUSA Wisconsin team members to discuss the challenges of finding and recruiting skilled employees and how SkillsUSA Wisconsin can partner with organizations and school districts to provide a pipeline of skilled and qualified future workers.
Regional competitors will have an opportunity to advance and participate in the 53rd annual Wisconsin SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC) in Madison, Tuesday, April 7 – Wednesday, April 8. The Wisconsin SLSC, the largest hands-on workforce development event in the state, is the premier showcase of Wisconsin’s most highly skilled career and technical education students.
State competitions will occur at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, and Madison Area Technical College (MATC), 1701 Wright St. Other competitors in a category can participate in the SLSC until the maximum number of competitors in the category is reached. Winners in all National-Qualifying Events will be invited to represent Wisconsin at the National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, GA, June 1–5, 2026.
Nationally, there are 114 head-to-head skilled and leadership competitions, and the 2026 Wisconsin SkillsUSA SLSC will offer more than 60 different competitions across middle school, high school, and post-secondary divisions, with more than 1,750 students participating. This is the largest showcase of career and technical education in the State, with business and industry representation from over 100 companies and over 300 volunteers, technical chairs, and judges.
Founded in 1973, Wisconsin SkillsUSA added 14 new chapters in the 2025 school year, bringing the total to 166 high school and middle school Wisconsin secondary chapters. A partnership of students, teachers, and industry representatives working together to ensure America has the skilled workforce needed to stay competitive, the SkillsUSA diverse talent pipeline covers more than 110 trades, technical, and skilled service occupations, mostly related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Dozens of corporations, trade associations, businesses, and labor unions support SkillsUSA Wisconsin to assure its mission success. Programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials.
Helping each student excel and as a solution to shrinking the skills gap, SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.
SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce by developing framework skills, including personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics. The SkillsUSA mission is built upon — and its success depends on — the commitment of members and partners to the following values: integrity, respect, responsibility, citizenship, and service.
For more information on the SkillsUSA Regional Competition in Appleton and/or the State Leadership and Skills Conference, visit www.skillsusa-wi.org or email wisconsinskillsusa@gmail.com.