HVACR Students Compete at SkillsUSA Minnesota

Career and technical education (CTE) students from across Minnesota brought home medals and honors from the 2025 SkillsUSA Minnesota State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC), held April 4–5, 2025.

This annual state championship event highlighted the talents of Minnesota's top CTE students. A total of 555 student members from 25 schools competed in 57 trade, technical, and leadership contests. 

Competitions took place at multiple sites across the Twin Cities metro area, providing hands-on, real-world environments for each skill event. The culminating awards ceremony was held the evening of April 5 at Wayzata High School.

Throughout the event, students showcased their abilities in career-focused areas such as electronics, precision machining, culinary arts, and medical assisting. Leadership competitions featured skills in extemporaneous speaking, team leadership, and parliamentary procedure.

Minneapolis College HVACR students Kyle Kusie, Ben Oman, Henry Morris, and Michael Rutherford showed professionalism and skill under pressure during the competition. Ben Oman took first place in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration - College/Postsecondary category. Oman will represent Minneapolis College at the national competition in Atlanta in June.

All contests were run with the support of industry professionals, trade associations, and labor organizations, who ensured the competitions met industry standards and expectations. Students earning top honors received gold, silver, and bronze medallions, along with scholarships, tools, and other career-building prizes.