State Leadership & Skills Conference 2026
April 23-25, 2026 | Peoria, IL
State Leadership & Skills Conferences are the pinnacle events SkillsUSA student members. Each year Illinois' best career and technical education students heads to Peoria, IL to showcase their ability to enter the workforce. More than 5,000 individuals — including students, teachers, and business partners — are expected to participate in the multi-day event.
About the Conference
The high-energy festivities kick off on Thursday evening. Speakers deliver powerfully memorable inspiration for students to acknowledge the strength and possibility of their skills, embrace competition, and develop a deep sense of pride in their work.
The State Leadership & Skills Conference begins on Friday with students competing across 100+ career competitions designed to test their skills. Each competition is designed and run by representatives of respective industries, allowing students to gain a high degree of experience and insight. Afterwards, students are treated to a special social event for their hard work.
The involvement of industry in the SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference program is essential. Leadership, health, trade, industrial and technical experts donate their time to serve as contest judges and as technical committee members. They assume responsibility for selecting the skills to be judged, determining the format of the contests and establishing the standards by which the contestants will be judged.
The red jackets come out on Saturday as the conference ends with an “Olympic Style” Champions Ceremony. It is truly a sight to behold as students stand tall and proud of their accomplishment, connect with their future, and prepare to represent Illinois on the national stage.
Future Dates
2027: April 22-24
SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference
The SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference recognizes career and technical education students who excel in their occupational areas, and spotlights leadership development activities that are such an integral part of the SkillsUSA program.
It is the goal of SkillsUSA Illinois to run all career competitions at maximum numbers. Therefore, after advisors have received the results of the State Qualifying Exams, please notify our membership team if any of your students that have qualified will not be competing in that competition so that may notify the next competitor.
For more information on career competitions (including updates), visit the State Leadership & Skills Conference section of the website: