Competition
2020 SkillsUSA State Graphic Communications Competition
Introduction
This resource is designed to provide instructors and competitors with an overview of the contests that will be conducted at the SkillsUSA State Graphic Communications Competition.
Competitors are required to bring a resume. 50 points will be deducted from their total score for not supplying a resume.
Mandatory dress: Khakis or jeans, SkillsUSA polo shirt (or other polo shirt), closed toe shoes appropriate for a shop environment that will adequately protect the contestant’s foot (no elevated or high heels, no open toed shoes). Safety appropriate dress will be enforced above all (no ripped or torn clothing, no hanging jewelry, no un-tucked clothing, appropriate shoes). Long hair must be tied back.
Electronic Devices: Competitors are prohibited from carrying electronic devices (cell phones, iPods, etc . . .) and headphones on their person while participating in the competition. If electronics are brought to the competition, a storage location will be provided for electronic devices during the competition.
Competition Breakdown
Oral Professional Assessment (OPA):
This contest will take the form of a live panel interview in which the contestant will interact with two interviewers to apply for a specific job at a fictitious company. The interview will last a maximum of 20 minutes. A Company description is supplied along with job descriptions that the contestant can interview for. A list of questions along with judging criteria are provided in order to allow the contestant to prepare for the interview. Job specific questions will be asked. Contestants are required to bring their resume to the competition. For maximum points the resume that the contestant brings should reflect the position that they are applying for.
Production Planning (PP):
This contest will require the student to use simple math to solve an estimating problem. The problem solver Excel spreadsheet is included and can be used to generate multiple practice problems
Production Planning Practice Files
Electronic Prepress (EP):
Adobe Creative Cloud applications will be used create/modify an InDesign file according to instructions provided. The contest has been created to be version neutral. In other words, there are no version specific features that are included in the contest.This contest will take place on a Macintosh computer running Adobe Creative Suite. Competitors can familiarize themselves with the software by downloading a fully functioning trial copy of Creative Suite (Mac or PC) from Adobe’s web site: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/.
Multi-page Brochure Practice File
Offset Press Simulator: (OPS)
Using Offset Print simulation software of a Sheetfed Offset press (SheetSim-SHOTS simulator), the student will solve exercises, in a limited time, with printing problems and settings on a 4 color Sheetfed Offset press. The student will have access to standard quality control tools (product, magnifier, densitometer). This examination will demonstrate the ability of students to manage the offset printing process.
SkillsUSA Knowledge Test:
The results of this test will only be used in the event that a tiebreak is necessary. This will be a test consisting of 25 questions drawn from a question bank of 134 questions related to the SkillsUSA organization. The question bank will be provided to competitors as a study guide.