Wolcott Tech Electrical Student Wins 1st Place, Gold in National Competition
June 26, 2023
Benjamin (Ben) Batchelder, a recent Electrical Technology graduate of Oliver Wolcott Technical High School located in Torrington,
CT, won first place in electrical construction wiring at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held the week of June 19, 2023, in Atlanta, GA.
SkillsUSA is a national student leadership organization connecting students, business and industry to ensure a skilled workforce.
The annual SkillsUSA conference is a showcase of the best career and technical education (CTE) students in the nation. Students from 49 states and the US territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and the Navajo Nation compete in more than 100 different trade, technical and leadership events, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts.
Benjamin was one of eight students from Oliver Wolcott Technical High School that earned the opportunity to compete nationally. In January, Benjamin was selected from his school using a qualifying test to compete in the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference where he ultimately won first place. This earned Benjamin the right to represent Connecticut at the National Leadership and Skills Conference.
According to Anthony (Tony) Mazzone, Electrical Department Head at Oliver Wolcott, this is the second time in 6 years an Oliver Wolcott Technical High School student has won the national Electrical Competition. Benjamin was also awarded over $2,000 in tools and prizes donated by the national event sponsors, including Harbor Freight, DeWALT, Black+Decker, Lowes, Southwire, Fluke, Klein Tools, Ideal, Knipex, Milwaukee, Channel Lock and others.
The SkillsUSA National competition was held the week of Oliver Wolcott Tech’s graduation. Benjamin choose to compete at the national conference instead of attending graduation at the Warner Theater with his peers. Instead, he graduated early during graduation practice on June 16 in front of his cheering peers and family in the Wolcott Tech Gymnasium.
Next steps for Benjamin include joining a local Connecticut Electrical Union, either the IBEW Local 42 High Voltage Electrical Workers Union in Manchester or IBEW Local 90 Electrical Union in Wallingford.
