After learning Roofing Contractor
planned to cover the 59th annual National Leadership & Skills
Conference in Atlanta — commonly known as SkillsUSA — last June, I
admittedly had no idea what I’d be attending. 

Considering the
talent displayed throughout the week in practically every skilled trade,
I’m embarrassed to acknowledge that oversight. From culinary arts to
welding, commercial roofing to auto repair — the sheer diversity of
talents on display was awe-inspiring. Virtually any occupation involving
time, talent and apprenticeship was represented, with the best of the
best competing for top honors. 

The SkillsUSA competition
represents nearly 400,000 career and technical education students and
teachers nationwide in middle schools, high schools, and college or
post-secondary institutions. Through the SkillsUSA Framework, students
develop hands-on and career-readiness skills in more than 130
occupational areas, addressing the ongoing skills gap in the job market.
Since 1965, SkillsUSA has served more than 14.6 million members. And,
as obtaining a four-year college degree becomes increasingly
unaffordable for many, the allure of entering a skilled trade has gained
new cachet. 

Being a contestant in Atlanta was a significant
achievement in itself. The championships culminate a year-long process
that begins in local SkillsUSA chapters across the country. Local
winners advance to district or regional competitions, testing their
skills against competitors from other schools. Those winners advance to
state competitions each spring, and state gold medalists earn the right
to compete nationally. This meant that each young person competing had
already proven their worthiness to attend. Along with winning gold,
silver, or bronze, competitors often earn scholarships and receive tools
of the trade just by making it to nationals. Job offers are frequently
presented on the competition floor. 

The 2024 national event saw
115 individual trade competitions, with 6,647 high school and
post-secondary students competing. SkillsUSA pegged non-participant
attendance at about 10,650, including, judges, parents, spectators and
the media.

The Building Envelope and Low-Slope Commercial Roofing

This
was technically the third year that low-slope roofing was part of the
construction component, which now seems an oversight considering
virtually every other element that comprises the building envelope
participates.

This year, 11 current high school students or recent
graduates joined the first day’s event, while three post-secondary
entrants participated during the second day. Only four students competed
in 2023. 

Contestants were each presented with a mocked-up
section of a low-slope roof and tasked with applying the most commonly
used roof type, thermoplastic, on the same mockup used for NRCA’s
ProCertification exam. 

Participants put on all required safety
equipment, rolled out a sheet of thermoplastic membrane, mechanically
attached it to the deck, flashed the perimeter edge wall, and flashed
around a box and pipe boot. The contest began the day before the
hands-on skills event with a written test, like the NRCA’s TRAC:
Thermoplastic course exam.

The competition emphasized the
technical skills of roofing and the importance of safety and
professionalism. Contestants were evaluated on their ability to perform
tasks efficiently and cleanly, with points awarded for the proper
teardown and removal of materials. 

Contestants submitted their
resumes and OSHA certifications, reflecting the competition’s focus on
career readiness and professional development.

That correction of
omission can be attributed in large part to the Roofing Alliance, which
recently donated $150,000 to help fund the roofing competition for the
next three years, the National Roofing Contractors Association, which
coordinated the event, and a gentleman most RC readers are well acquainted with: Rick Damato, our recently-retired editorial director.

“What
impresses me the most about our roofing competitors is that most of the
students here have already won a state or other competition to get to
this point,” Damato explained while on the show floor. “And these young
people are leaders, and they’re [ambassadors] in their schools; as we
begin to attract them into roofing, they’ll talk to their friends about
it, so I see it as growing outward from here if we can just maintain the
emphasis [of] getting into the schools.”

Damato urged the
industry for years to get involved with SkillsUSA because it harnesses
the best up-and-coming talent in the field and, as an added value,
demonstrates to the outside world the skill, concentration and
qualifications necessary to become a commercial roofer. 

John
Esbenshade, the NRCA’s director of workforce development, was
responsible for the layout and other details for the competition. He’s
also helping map out how the industry will mitigate what the NRCA
projects as a labor shortage of nearly 40,000 workers.

“The
quality of work this year is significantly higher; I think the highest
score on the written test last year would have been the lowest score on
the written tests this year,” Esbenshade said.

“Now we have 11
competitors — secondary school-aged and post-secondary college-aged kids
… the amount of quality of improvement that’s happened for these
students and their work is inspiring and [energizes] all of us who are
thinking about what we’re going to do next year.”

Esbenshade also noted that the program would be a fraction of its current size without the support of roofing suppliers.

“All
the roofing materials we have on hand were made possible with the help
of our distribution and manufacturing partners; SRS Distribution was a
tremendous help, as was Atlas, TAMKO, Johns Manville and others,” he
said.

The Future of Roofing 

Despite
the coordination, promotion, behind-the-scenes execution and the rest,
without the participants, there would be no story to tell. These young
men and women are the future of skilled trades; their tenacity,
backstories and grit are as admirable as the bells and whistles
showcased.  

At just 18 years old, Mia Pulido, who had just
graduated high school, was one of two young women participating in this
year’s Secondary category. 

The Indiana native, attending the
Skills competition for the second time, said she grew up in a “trade”
family and that the competition offers a glide path toward a promising
career — even if that career isn’t necessarily in commercial roofing.

“I
originally tried it out [last year] just to try,” she said, explaining
that the roofing competition was the only open slot available that year
at her high school. “So, I was like, okay, I’ll try it out, you know,
and I did, and I was like, that’s pretty cool.”

Matthew
Rodriguez of Arizona, also 18, said that roofing is a skill he hadn’t
previously given much thought to but is surprised just how much he
enjoys the work — the attention to detail and opportunities the industry
affords. He won third place in the Secondary competition.

“I
didn’t have an interest in [roofing] at first, but after a little bit, I
was like, you know, it’s actually kinda pretty enjoyable, kind of
relaxing,” Rodriguez said. “I did carpentry last year, and I was
stressed; this year, I was like, alright, I’ll give it a shot, and I’m
feeling pretty good. So, I know what to do and how to do it.”

Doug
Duncan (left), president of Nations Roof and current chairman of the
National Roofing Contractors Association, with McKay Daniels, the NRCA’s
CEO, admiring the students during the competition atop the NRCA’s
central scaffolding.

Moemi
Marinez of Florida took second place in the Secondary category, and
Brandon Lopez of South Carolina won the high school component of the
competition. In the Post-Secondary category, Hunter Hamilton of
Tennessee took third place, Mathew Addington of Florida took second, and
Tyler Hutchenson of New York won.

Damato said he believes the
NRCA sees value in how the industry can leverage SkillsUSA for
recruiting and that contractors — whether members or not — have a
prominent role in nurturing this vast pool of budding talent.

“If
there’s a contractor who happens not to be an NRCA member, we’re still
going to help them get into trade schools,” he said. “The ideal scenario
is having a roofing contractor serve as a topic expert for those
classrooms and helping them with supplying the materials and equipment
they need.”