LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Area career and technical students won some of the nation’s highest awards at the 2016 SkillsUSA Championships, held in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 22-23.

Austin High School student Jared Meineke was awarded the high school bronze medal in Screen Printing Technology. Christopher Johnson of Hayfield was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in CNC Turning Specialist. He is a student at Alexandria Technical & Community College.

A total of 1,080 gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to students and more than 6,000 students competed at the national showcase of career and technical education. The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world and is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.