Bristol Community College is launching an affiliation with SkillsUSA Massachusetts for the 2026–2027 academic year, creating a new platform to connect students with career readiness, leadership development and real-world professional experiences.
Bristol’s leadership, faculty and workforce professionals will identify opportunities to incorporate SkillsUSA Massachusetts experiences in ways that fit individual programs and student needs. Potential opportunities include SkillsUSA Career Essentials, chapter and student leadership experiences, state and national competitions, service, employer engagement, and other career-connected learning activities.
The affiliation will also give Bristol’s students a broader statewide network of peers, educators, employers, and community partners. These connections can help students test their skills, develop professional relationships, and see clearer pathways from education to employment, advancement, or continued study.
The initiative aligns closely with the college’s mission to transform lives through education and workforce training and to contribute to the economic growth of the region. It also advances SkillsUSA Massachusetts’ mission to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. Through the SkillsUSA Framework, students develop personal skills, workplace skills, and technical skills grounded in academics.
“At Bristol, we believe education must do more than prepare students to earn a credential, it must prepare them to lead and thrive in the world beyond our classrooms,” said Dr. Sedgwick L. Harris, President, Bristol Community College. “The college’s affiliation with SkillsUSA Massachusetts strengthens the connection between learning and opportunity, providing students with meaningful ways to develop the technical, professional and leadership skills that employers and communities need.”
“Career readiness cannot be something we hope happens by graduation. We must build it into the student experience from day one. At Bristol, our goal is for students to be Job Ready Day One: graduates with the technical ability to do the work, the professional skills to succeed and the confidence to lead. SkillsUSA gives us a nationally recognized framework to help make that expectation real. We have an opportunity at Bristol to help redefine what career and technical education looks like at the community college level in Massachusetts, and we intend to lead that work," said Dr. Jillian Bumpus, Vice President, Economic and Workforce Solutions, Bristol Community College.
“Bristol Community College is demonstrating the kind of commitment that makes SkillsUSA meaningful: giving students repeated opportunities to practice leadership, build professional skills and connect their education to careers. We are proud to support Bristol as it develops an approach that reflects the college’s students, programs and workforce mission,” said Karen E. Ward, CSD, Executive Director, SkillsUSA Massachusetts, Inc.
SkillsUSA Massachusetts, Inc. supports students and educators in middle school, high school and college/postsecondary
programs across the Commonwealth. Through education, leadership, service, career experiences
and the SkillsUSA Framework, members develop the personal, workplace and technical
skills needed to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible
community members. SkillsUSA Massachusetts is committed to empowering success for
any student, any skill and any career.