Why SkillsUSA matters for the future of the industry

By Emma Peterson. 

Sherri Miles explains how SkillsUSA is creating a stronger talent pipeline for the roofing industry. 

Across the United States, SkillsUSA regional competitions are heating up in preparation for the 2026 SkillsUSA National Championship, which will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia this June! To learn more about how students competing in the roofing trade are preparing for this national stage, Coffee Shops editor in chief Lauren White sat down with Sherri Miles, a fourth-generation roofing contractor in Virginia whose company, Miles Roofing, is closely involved in their local SkillsUSA chapter.  

Roofing is a relatively new addition to the SkillsUSA competition roster. The Roofing Alliance first became a partner organization in 2019 with Skills USA nationally.  The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) has expanded the relationship and held first a “demo” competition in 2022!  This occasion was something that Sherri remembers well, as she was involved. She explained, “When NRCA started talking to SkillsUSA, one of the big initiatives was to get boots on the ground around the country to build relationships with local CTE teachers.  I befriended the head of the CTE for Virginia Beach Schools and told them, 'I really want commercial roofing to be a part of this. And I want you guys to be the first ones to participate.” 

That head of CTE got Sherri in contact with a carpentry teacher in the school system who invited the Miles Roofing team to present to his class a couple times. Through that relationship, Sherri and her team prepared the first Virginia team to compete in SkillsUSA for commercial roofing. She recalled, “We got some kids ready for competitions... One of my favorite parts has been when we have rainy days and getting to see my guys who are ProCertified roofers teach these kids. They love connecting with them and sharing the world of roofing with them.” 

That first year they sent one student from Virginia to Nationals, the second year it was two, the third year they sent one and this year, Sherri and Miles Roofing are part of a fundraising effort to send a student named Nick to the competition. She shared a bit of his story:  

The SkillsUSA director from Virginia was one of the teachers and administrators the NRCA brought to the International Roofing Expo (IRE).  After her return to Virginia she got us in contact with a student from a school system we had not worked with before in commercial roofing. He was interested in roofing but had not done any hands-on training with the products. He wasn’t quite prepared for the competition.  SkillsVA and the Virginia Association of Roofing Professionals (VARP) had him come to the state competition and compete as a demonstration and this kid was fantastic. He welded better than some of my guys who have been doing it for a while. He was a really quick study and we immediately knew that he needed to compete at Nationals.  

VARP gave him our endorsement to move on to Nationals and  then I received a text from his teacher saying, ‘Hey, we don’t have the money, I don’t think we can get him there.’   I started calling various organizations because this is a great kid, a great competitor who should be there representing Virginia. How do we get him to Atlanta? 

The answer, bring the roofing community together. Already, Sherri has gotten in contact with NRCA about scholarship money to help Nick’s journey to the SkillsUSA competition, “We will make sure this happens, he will be going. And looking to the future, I am already emailing and calling as many other players as I can to make sure that we have a more robust system in place in the future so other students don’t have to worry about not having the funding to go to Nationals.”  

Because at its core, SkillsUSA is so much more than just a competition. Sherri explained, “SkillsUSA isn’t just a competition. It’s the way we can start the pipeline of kids who are coming out of school credentialed, inspired and ready to join the trades.”  

Want to learn more about helping students make it SkillsUSA? Reach out to Sherri!