Press Release

Metropolitan Education District 760 Hillsdale Ave San Jose, CA 95136 February 09, 2010

Contact: Michelle Alaimo Communication Specialist (408) 723-6464 malaimo@metroed.net

CCOC Students Strike Gold at SkillsUSA Regional Competitions

SkillsUSA named 26 Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) students Gold medal winners at its Regional Competitions held on January 30 and February 6 in San Jose, Hayward, and Salinas.

Nine other students from CCOC took home the silver. Out of 51 CCOC high school and adult students who competed in the regional competitions, 34 students will advance to represent CCOC in the SkillsUSA State competition in San Diego, California, April 8 to 11.

“CCOC is proud of the effort and dedication that these students put into this competition,” CCOC Truck Mechanics instructor and SkillsUSA advisor, Mike Cortese, said. “These students have shown that they can work well under pressure and have what it takes to make it in today’s ever-changing work environment.”

Students competed in the areas of Diesel Mechanics, Heating and Air Conditioning, Intro to Autos, Auto Service, Residential Wiring, Computer Maintenance, Collision Repair, Auto Refinishing, Carpentry, First Aid/CPR, Basic Health Care, Job Interview, and Welding.

CCOC Truck Mechanics Gold medal winner and Lincoln High School senior, Prescott Dorius, repeated his regional win this year. Dorius also won a gold at the 2009 state SkillsUSA competition and is excited to compete again this year with the opportunity to earn more scholarships and another shot at winning the national competition in June. At the 2009 state SkillsUSA competition, Dorius won a $25,000 scholarship to Universal Technology Institute (UTI) and a $15,000 scholarship to Wyotech University.

SkillsUSA is a national organization for career-technical education students within trade, technical, industrial and health occupations. Annual competitions are held to encourage students to challenge themselves within their chosen technical careers.

CCOC, a unit of MetroED, provides career-technical education for high school students in six districts: Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Milpitas Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District, and Santa Clara Unified School District. Students attend CCOC for half of their school day and the other half they attend their home high school.

A complete list of CCOC SkillsUSA regional winners is available upon request from Michelle Alaimo at 408-723-6464 or malaimo@metroed.net.

---

MetroED is the largest career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, comprised of high school and adult occupational, academic and community programs.

MetroED annually provides 31,000 diverse students with the skills to help them be productive, income-earning and tax-paying contributors to Silicon Valley.