This content was published: May 19, 1999. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC Students Head to VICA Nationals
Photos and Story by James Hill
Three Portland Community College students are taking their talents in vocational skill competition and vying with the best across the country during the national SkillsUSA-VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) conference and competition in Kansas City in late June.
The students, all from PCC’s Rock Creek Campus, won their seats to the national competition after securing top spots in their respective events at the Oregon VICA competition, held in Salem in late April.
They are Karl Lange, a Building Construction Technology student, who lives in Northeast Portland; John Moore, from North Portland and in the Auto Collision Repair Technology program; and Loren White in Diesel Technology and a resident of Hillsboro.
Steve White, department chair of Auto Collision Repair and one of the event organizers, said, "We are very proud of all of our competitors. It was a fun and rewarding experience."
The national conference will be held June 29-July 2, when 4,000 vocational students all state conference winners will compete in hands-on skill tests in 68 different trade, technical and leadership fields. In the championships, students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as cabinetry, diesel mechanics, auto collision repair, computer aided drafting, precision machining. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor associations. The test competencies are set up by industry.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »