Competition at National SkillsUSA Championships Includes Xerox Digital Press Operation

Dozens of high school and college students will demonstrate their skills in running high-tech digital presses this week during SkillsUSA, the world’s largest showcase of skilled trades, including graphic communications. 

The competition is one of the 100 held for more than 6,000 of the nation’s best career and technical education students. The SkillsUSA Championships are part of the week-long SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference June 18-24 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Xerox provided six presses – a Xerox Versant^® 80 Digital Press and five Xerox Color 570 Printers – along with support staff for the graphic communications contest. The students will be judged for their performance in producing a personalized, multi-page booklet from scratch, including creating the document, programming the variable data for personalization, printing and finishing.

In addition, Xerox has a robust learning and mentoring platform – the Digital Career Pathway Program – that provides digital production printing curriculum, hands-on training and teaches skills that align to competencies defined in the National PrintED Accreditation process. Currently in use in about 20 states, the Xerox program supports building the future print industry workforce through education (K-12, community and technical colleges), state and government agencies, and corrections and juvenile facilities.

“Programs like SkillsUSA and the Xerox Digital Career Pathway Program Curriculum are preparing the next generation of workers for the graphic communications industry, providing opportunities for students and a trained workforce for employers,” said Bob Hivish, manager, Managed Print Services Offerings & Public Sector Programs, U.S. Large Enterprise Operations, Xerox Corporation.

Xerox also is providing the printing technology for the National SkillsUSA advertising and design competition and for general administrative use during the competition.