LOUISVILLE, KY — Charissa Barrett from Fort Stewart and a student at Savannah Technical College won the college gold medal in nurse assisting in the 2017 SkillsUSA Championships.

It is one of the nation’s highest awards given during the career education competition in Louisville last moth. More than 6,000 students competed at the national showcase of career and technical education. SkillsUSA is the largest skill competition in the world and covers 1.4 million square feet.

Students were invited to demonstrate their technical, workplace and personal skills in 100 hands-on occupational and leadership contests.

Industry leaders from 600 businesses, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material.

More than 1,200 gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to students. Many winners also received industry prizes and scholarships.

"More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation participated in the 2017 SkillsUSA Championships," SkillsUSA executive director Tim Lawrence said. "This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates our SkillsUSA partnership at its finest. Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels."