Owensboro Community and Technical College

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OCTC ANNOUNCES TRADE WARS 2025: REGIONAL SKILLS COMPETITIONS

Friday, April 25, 2025

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (02/14/2025) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) will host TRADE WARS 2025, a comprehensive skills competition showcasing student talent across multiple technical and professional disciplines. The free event will occur on April 25, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at OCTC's Main Campus, located at 4800 New Hartford Road.

The competition features seventeen competitions spanning three major sectors: Manufacturing & Transportation, Healthcare, and Professional Skills. Students can demonstrate their expertise in fields ranging from Air Conditioning Technology and Welding to Nursing and Criminal Justice. Performance categories include Visual Art, Public Speaking and Dramatic Interpretation, while technical competitions showcase Industrial Maintenance, Manufacturing and Machining, and Electrical Technology skills.

"TRADE WARS 2025 represents a unique opportunity for high school students to demonstrate their professional skills in a competitive environment, it is based on an event that started in Maysville in 2019. They were always so excited about it, last year we made a road trip to check it out" said Bernie Hale, OCTC's director of marketing and communications. "Once we experienced the event we wanted to replicate it for our region. This event rewards excellence and helps students gain valuable experience that appeals to future employers."

OCTC's Vice President of Advancement, Sydney Warren added, "The event in Maysville is 100% covered by donations through sponsorships. We are hoping that our regional partners will take this opportunity to show their support of both our transfer and career options."

Winning schools will receive commemorative banners, while individual champions will earn career-focused prizes designed to support their professional development. Students may participate in multiple categories, allowing them to showcase their versatility across different disciplines.

Registration is now open at www.owensboro.kctcs.edu/tradewars. Due to space limitations in certain categories, early registration is encouraged. Schools interested in participating should contact OCTC.TradeWars@kctcs.edu for comprehensive information packets, including registration materials and required waivers.

For more information, please contact: OCTC.TradeWars@kctcs.edu to sponsor the event please contact sydney.warren@kctcs.edu.

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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC

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