1965 - The Vocational
Industrial Clubs of America, Inc. (VICA) was founded by students and
teachers who were serious about their professions and saw the need for
more training in the areas of leadership to complement their chosen
vocation. In Nashville, Tennessee, 14 states were represented, as VICA
chose it's name, colors, motto, purposes and goals.
1966 - VICA membership was
29,534 in 1,074 clubs in 26 chartered states and territories; the first
issue of the SkillsUSA-VICA magazine was produced.
1967 - VICA added five more
states, began holding competitive events and introduced uniform.
Membership was well over 40,000.
1968 - Plans were announced
for the national VICA center to be located near Washington, D.C.; and,
VICA members were received by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Cabinet
Room of the White House. The students give the President a handmade
gavel and sounding block inscribed, "To Lyndon B. Johnson -
America's Great Educational President."
1969 - VICA membership hit
82,000 with new chapters, postsecondary membership and VICA's yearly
themes. The first theme was "Speak Up for America."
1970 - The VICA Leadership
Handbook was published for the first time and a student campaign to
raise funds for the National Leadership Center got underway. The theme
was "Skills Build America."
1971 - At the seventh annual
National Leadership Conference, there were 25 competitive activities.
1972 - VICA membership up to
125,000.
1973 - VICA membership over
150,000.
1974 - VICA purchased land for
the new National Leadership Center in Leesburg, VA; and VICA members met
with President Ford.
1975 - VICA celebrated it's
10th anniversary with the induction of the one millionth member.
1976 - 5,000 VICA members
attended the U.S. Skill Olympics in Miami Beach, and membership reached
a quarter of a million with 10,000 active chapters.
1977 - Contributions from VICA
alumni, friends and members to purchase the land where the National
Leadership Center now sits topped $56,000.
1978 - Ground breaking began
for the National Leadership Center in Leesburg, VA.
1979 - The national leadership
center was dedicated after 15 years of planning and fund raising.
1980 - VICA started the Youth
Development Foundation Committee to make sure that our programs were
relevant to both students' and industry's needs and make sure that
financing was available to support them.
1981 - VICA played host to the
International Youth Skill Olympics where VICA members joined 274
international contestants from 14 countries in 33 contests; and, nearly
7,000 VICA members attended the National Leadership Conference and U.S.
Skill Olympics.
1982 - The first year VICA
incorporated industry update seminars as part of the National Leadership
Conference.
1983 - President Ronald Reagan
spoke at the National Leadership Conference and said, "American
industry as well as American educational institutions should take note
of the VICA experience."
1984 - Membership attained its
three and a half-millionth member.
1985 - VICA's 20th
anniversary; membership had grown to 12,632 chapters; the U.S. Skill
Olympics had gone from 5 competitive events to 38; and it was the year
to bring home the first International Skill Olympics Gold Medal for
America. Dennis Falls of Arizona brought home the first graphic design
gold medal.
1986 - The board of directors
opened its membership to representatives of technical and health
occupations education; and an ex-officio board position was created for
the chairman of the Youth Development Foundation Committee.
1987 - The VICA Professional
Development Program was created, and in testing Level 1, 6,500 students
and teachers took part.
1988 - VICA's Board of
Directors appointed Stephen Denby as executive director; efforts began
to organize VICA chapters in Ontario, Canada; and, VICA released the
Professional Development Program nationwide.
1989 - An ex officio position
on the Board of Directors was created for the State VICA Directors'
Association.
1990 - VICA celebrates it's
25th anniversary!
1991 - Robert Pope won the
gold medal for welding in the Amsterdam International Youth Skill
Olympics. He made olympic history by receiving the first gold medal in
welding for the United States, and by obtaining the most points in any
IYSO contest since it's beginning.
1992 - VICA won the Vocational
Instructional Materials (VIM) Outstanding Mediated Instructional award
for it's parliamentary procedure video entitled "Rules of the
Game."
1993 - Nicholas Peterson won
the bronze medal in welding at the International Youth Skills Olympics
in Taiwan.
1994 - The new name of the
United States Skill Olympics was announced. The competition's name would
be the Skills USA Championships - to become effective during the
National Leadership and Skills Conference in 1995.
1995 - Branden Muehlbrandt won
the silver medal in welding at the International Youth Skill
Competitions (IYSC) (officially renamed from the International Youth
Skill Olympics); the Skills USA Championships became the new official
name of the national competition; VICA received it's official
designation as a CEU sponsor; and, both the new Professional Development
Program, and the Total Quality Curriculum were introduced to the public.
1996 - VICA received the
Oracle Award by the International Association of Continuing Education
and Training (IACET) for the new Professional Development Program; VICA
received the Vocational Instructional Materials (VIM) Award of
Excellence for the PDP; and, Secretary of Education Riley, Secretary of
Labor Reich, and J.D. Hoye, Executive Director of the Department of
Education's School to Work Office spoke at VICA's Washington Leadership
Training Institute's Congressional Breakfast.
1997 - VICA held it's first
School-to-Work Conference at the NLSC; and, VICA's web site was given an
award for it's web site by the Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX).
1998 - The Board of Directors
voted to change the name of the organization to SkillsUSA-VICA; and,
Robert Flint of Caterpillar Inc. was the first business representative
elected to chair the Board of Directors.
1999 - VICA officially changed
to SkillsUSA-VICA on July 4, 1999 at the National Leadership and Skills
Conference. Students competing in the World Skills Competition in
Montreal placed higher than ever before. Nationwide, chapter members
began an image campaign in which they spoke to community leaders about
the value of skilled employees, their training and SkillsUSA-VICA
membership.
For
America