High School Carpentry, Electrical & Welding Competition
More information to come

National Craft Championship
March 13-15, 2024

KISSIMMEE, FL

Craft Competitions

Bayou High School Welding Competition

Every Spring, the ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter hosts a High School Welding Competition on our campus. The High School Welding Competition consists of several area high schools participating in ABC's School-to-Career program. The written portion of the competition is based on the Contren Learning Series curriculum. Safety, as well as the welding craft, will be judged in both written and performance tests.

This competition is of great benefit to the high school students. Many of our members from the petrochemical industry are present at this event. This provides the students, especially graduating seniors, with a unique opportunity to meet industry professionals, show them what they have learned, and to get their foot in the door. Additionally, this event generates excitement for the construction trades as well as deserved recognition for students choosing Welding as part of their career path.

Awards and prizes are given to the top performers of the competition.

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Bayou Competition for National Craft Championship

The purpose of the Bayou Welding Competition is to establish the most viable candidates to represent the New Orleans/Bayou Chapter at the ABC National Craft Championship held in conjunction with the annual ABC Workforce Development 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.

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National Craft Championship

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 Championship. During this intense two-day event, young men and women compete in one of 14 competitions, representing 13 trades:

• Carpentry
• Electrical
• Fire Sprinkler
• HVAC
• Instrumentation Fitting
• Insulation
• Masonry
• Metal Building
• Millwright
• Pipefitting
• Plumbing
• Sheet Metal
• Welding: Pipe
• 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 more info on the NCC, please visit ncc.abc.org.