The purpose of the ABC Craft Competition is to establish the most viable candidates to represent the New Orleans/Bayou Chapter at the ABC National Craft Championships held in conjunction with the annual ABC Education Conference.
During the Spring Semester of each school year, students are allowed to compete in designated crafts based on the recommendation of the ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Director of Instruction and the individual craft instructors. The local competition consists of a written exam and hands on performance exam. Judges will combine the performance “hands-on” test score from the projects with the written test score. After the testing process is completed, each instructor will provide all scores to the ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Director of Workforce Development for evaluation. The craft-specific contestant with the greatest overall score will be declared the winner. The winner of the local competition must meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for the ABC National Craft Championship Competition.
As an integral part of the ABC National Annual Convention, craft students from Chapters and member firm training programs around the country participate in the National Craft Championships. During this intense two-day event, young men and women compete in one of 14 competitions, representing 13 trades:
· Carpentry | · Metal Building |
· Electrical | · Millwright |
· Fire Sprinkler | · Pipefitting |
· HVAC | · Plumbing |
· Instrumentation Fitting | · Sheet Metal |
· Insulation | · Welding: Pipe |
· Masonry | · Welding: Structural |
Each competition includes a written exam and practical performance testing. Medals and cash prizes are then awarded to the top finishers within each competition. This event has truly become the highlight of the national convention as the embodiment of ABC's continuing commitment to foster growth and excellence in training among our nation's future workforce.
For pictures of the 2012 National Craft Championship Competition, click here.