More than 400 Lehigh Valley high school students competed in 54 hands-on skill and leadership competitions recently during a SkillsUSA Showcase of Skills. The event provided opportunity for some talented technical and career education students to be judged on their skills.

District gold medal winners advanced to state and national competitions.

Catasauqua High School student Joshua Weaver was a silver medal winner. A web design student at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Schnecksville, he competed in a team web design category along with another LCTI student, Jason Nemesch of Salisbury High School.

More than $60,000 in scholarships were awarded to the medalists in nine competitions.

Participating students attend LCTI, Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, Career Institute of Technology, Colonial Academy. Monroe Career & Technical Institute and Upper Bucks County Technical School.

Following the day of competition, an awards ceremony was held in the evening at Parkland High School, attended by the students and their families. The gold medal winners will go on to represent District 11 at a state competition in Hershey in April.

SkillsUSA Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a world-class workforce by developing partnerships among the business community and local career and technical schools.