Frederick County student wins gold at national SkillsUSA competition
- Sofia M
- Oct 10
- 4 min read
By Sofia Montoya-Deck
Published in the Frederick News-Post on July 3, 2025
A Frederick County Career & Technology Center student won gold at this year's annual SkillsUSA competition.
Represented Maryland at the national competition in Atlanta, Andrew Winkler, 19, placed first in the sheet metal category for high school students.
"It felt surreal," Winkler said of winning. "When they called back the top three contestants, we still didn't know who got first, second or third, so when they announced it on stage, I was very happy."
SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that aids in workforce development. The annual SkillsUSA Championship, held June 23 to 27, hosted more than 6,500 students from across the United States to compete in 114 skills and leadership competitions.
For the sheet metal category that Winkler competed in, contestants were expected to create different pieces of ductwork. They were rated on how closely it resembled the dimensions given, how clean it looked and overall accuracy.
Ductwork is the system of tubes or channels, typically made of sheet metal, that circulate heated or cooled air throughout a building.
"How I describe working on sheet metal is basically like origami with metal," Winkler said. "You bend the metal into different parts and everything to make the ductwork."
"I saw the piece that he made in competition, and it’s a fantastic-looking piece," Charles Crum, instructor of the HVAC and plumbing program at the CTC, said. "[Winkler] did really, really well."
Winkler, who graduated from Oakdale High School in May, started attending the Frederick County Career & Technology Center (CTC) for the HVAC and plumbing program during his junior year.
"He's an outstanding young man," Michael Concepcion, the CTC principal, said. "He's a great student. He has worked feverishly with his teacher Mr. Crum and others to really prepare for this opportunity."
According to Concepcion, the CTC sent around 19 students from different programs to this year's national competition.
"We take great pride in having our students not only master the curriculum, but doing well in competitions such as this," Concepcion said. "When you have students from around the country who work with similar career and curricular objectives come together and work on one idea and then get judged and to be number one or in the top 10, or even in the top 20, is still quite an accomplishment."
SkillsUSA participants test their skills at local, regional and state levels before advancing to the national stage.
Winkler won gold at the Maryland state competition both last year and this year, earning him a spot at nationals two years in a row.
"Last year, I was much more nervous because I'd never been there," Winkler said. "I wasn't 100% sure what to expect."
At last year's national competition, Winkler placed fifth in the sheet metal category.
"Me and my teacher, Mr. Crum, had been working on a lot of different pieces that we thought might be one of the projects last year," Winkler said. "This year, we buckled down on just one specific project that it could be and we got very good at that."
Winkler's assignment for the national competition was a "squared around transition," which is a component in HVAC systems that connects a square or rectangular duct to a round duct or pipe.
Each year, the CTC hosts an internal competition to determine which students will represent the school at the regional level.
"What I've done in the past typically is I'll design some sort of piping project that involves the student having to not only assemble the pipe, but pay attention closely to the measurements and how something is assembled," Crum said of hosting the school's competition for HVAC and plumbing. "The other task that I'll make available is some sort of sheet metal project."
Winners from the local competition continue to the regional level, which consists of students from Frederick, Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties.
Industry representatives often provide additional support and guidance at these events. This year, a local sheet metal union, SMART 100, supported the regional competition by providing judges, tools and sheet metal. Crum described their support as invaluable.
"Some of the judges come in a little early and watch and work with the students as they finish up their projects," Crum said. "They actually helped counsel Andrew on some of the things that we guessed and hoped would be at the national competition."
"Mr. Crum taught me a lot last year and this year," Winkler said. "For the finer details about the squared around transition and just a few tips and tricks, Mr. David Tiffett from SMART 100 Local and a few of his guys all helped me out a lot."
Students who placed in the top three from each region — of which there are six in Maryland — go on to compete at the state level. Only the gold recipients from each state earn a spot at nationals.
In the fall, Winkler plans to continue his education at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics at the branch campus near Hagerstown. Pittsburgh Institute is a two-year trade school for aviation maintenance where students are trained to become certified aviation technicians.
Winkler learned of the Frederick County CTC program through his friends while at Oakdale. After shadowing a mechanics class and an HVAC and plumbing class, he settled on choosing the latter program.
"I've always liked to work with my hands," he said. "I've always had an interest toward cars and I've had a few close friends and family members who have gone through the plumbing industry."
The CTC provides career-specific training to prepare students for college and employment.
Students in grades 10 to 12 from any Frederick County public high school are eligible to apply to the CTC, which offers 23 programs that range from physical rehabilitation to cosmetology.
Programs are taught in half-day blocks, allowing students to attend their home high school for the remainder of the day.
"I try to give the students a variety of different experiences because there's so many different opportunities within the HVAC or plumbing industry, everything from sales to installation to inspection to being an instructor," Crum said of his program. "There are a lot of different avenues a student can pursue and my hope is to give them a little taste of everything."
"We’re there to help develop connections between employers and the students," he said.
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