Blog

How CTeLearning is Helping to Run SkillsUSA State Web Design and Development Competitions

Steve Waddell • May 25, 2024

For the past few years, members of the CTeLearning team have been helping Web Professionals Global in running the national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, GA. Last year, we branched out into assisting with state competitions that prepare students for the national competition. 


Since we started working directly with states in 2022, we have seen the level of competition improve significantly at both the state level and national level. Students are better prepared than ever to hit the ground running on day one and contribute to team success. In the spring of 2024 we helped facilitate competitions in Washington, South Carolina, Arizona, Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas, Nevada, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Oregon, Oklahoma and Illinois. 


Web Professionals Global does all the heavy lifting and supplies the state SkillsUSA events with the following:

  • Online web design exam similar to what the competitors might see at nationals 
  • Competition project with client assets and judging rubric 
  • Handouts for competitors with overview and links to resources
  • Online development environment “IDE” for each competitive team
  • Support for judges and competition chairs 


CTeLearning’s big contribution is loaning our CloudCodePro IDE (integrated development environment) so that each competitor has their own online coding environment that is connected to our TeacherView. This allows the judges to have live access, making it easier for them to judge each team’s work. We also loan Steve, and he ends up roping some of our other team members in to help as needed. 

 

We enjoy doing our part to help the State SkillsUSA programs. We are glad that we get to partner with Web Professionals Global and help them deliver a turnkey competition that not only makes running the state competitions easier (rather than have the burden of creating the competition from scratch), but also models the national event so the state teams get a feel for the rigor of the national competition, whether students are participating in-person or remotely. 


Using our CloudCodePro IDE with the TeacherView also helps encourage judge participation. This is often due to needing to travel across the state and be out of the office a day or two. Our model gives states the chance to have judges assess participants from anywhere in the state. Many states struggle with getting industry help, let alone people willing to commit to hanging around late to judge. We make it easy for judges to participate from anywhere. 


The Day of the Competition

Let’s look at how the IL competition ran to see how our package makes life easier for the teams, volunteers and judges that make each state competition happen. The Illinois competition on April 25, 2024 is representative of what other state SkillsUSA programs experience when they work with CTeLearning and Web Professionals Global.


First, the Illinois SkillsUSA team contacted us to schedule the state competition and receive the competition kit. In the following days, the Illinois SkillsUSA team met with our team to get trained on what to expect on the day of the competition and how to ensure it went smoothly. 


On the day of the competition, teams showed up to the venue and received handouts outlining how the competition would run. This included an introductory video outlining the online development environments (although most teams don’t need to review much as many are already with online coding environments *such as VSCode). The team members also logged into their IDE to make sure they were ready to go when the competition began. The IDE also contained the client assets along with a readme file explaining what each team needs to focus on if they want to win the competition (for example, make certain to preview your work to verify images are linked properly).


Students were then introduced to their client for the competition and began to analyze the client’s needs, target audience and images and logos they would be using. After this introduction, students began the competition in their teams and started building their websites. Teams are not allowed to use frameworks of any sort (or help from AI), and doing so results in disqualification. We want competitors to use their knowledge and skills to demonstrate their understanding of responsive design, web accessibility and much more. Relying on a framework can hamper this demonstration as frameworks can be relied upon as a crutch.


Upon completion of the competition, the judges used the online judging system that we provided. This included a fair and easy-to-use rubric for judging the work of each team. Judges are able to review all teams' work from a single view and can examine the end result or the code directly in the browser. This system ensures a transparent judging process that is consistent with the process that winning teams experience at the national competition. The winners of the Illinois competition were then submitted to the national competition and invited to participate in June. 


Chat With Us

We are proud to be a part of this growing network of state competitions. Feel free to get in touch with us by clicking here or calling us at 913-764-4272 to learn more and have your state take advantage of our solution next year. 


Share To

Get in touch with us today!


You can book a demo directly using Calendly, call us directly at 913-764-4272 or 877-828-1216, or submit the form and we will reach out to you.


We look forward to helping you and your students.

students with STEM certifications

Most Recent Posts

Equipping the Next Generation With AI Skills

By Steve Waddell • May 1, 2025
Today we are highlighting one of our long-time partners, Dr. Maurico Castillo, and his students. Dr. Castillo teaches in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles and is an Advisor for Web Professionals Global , the professional association for all things web. This semester, Dr. Castillo has been teaching students at the Esteban Torres High School Engineering & Technology Academy. He is teaching CTeLearning’s AI for the Workplace course . 30 students worked their way through the course that teaches students how AI can be harnessed in the workplace, no matter what the future educational and career paths of the students may be. The course features the PromptScout tool, which helps students learn how various AI prompts can be used in a variety of professional settings to streamline work. The 5,360 prompts cover 63 different industries ranging from welding and business and cosmetology to agriculture. We caught up with Dr. Castillo to hear about his experience working with CTeLearning and teaching the course: “AI is here and is becoming a part of every career pathway. As CTE educators we must prepare learners for their future, and their future will include AI. AI will not replace people in their chosen pathways, but I see it helping to do more in less time. For example, people in a variety of career fields including welders, electricians, mechanics, solar techs, cosmetologists, web designers, and arborists are small business owners and entrepreneurs. As a welder, you have a craft that is high-paying and you may own your own business. AI can help you with many administrative tasks including digital marketing, customer service communications, and even safety reviews and codes review. AI is becoming the new career literacy. Every student needs to learn about how AI is a valuable tool and not something we should be afraid of. I was the first to deploy this course in CA. I took the opportunity with a class at a local high school that had 30 students. As a member of the advisory committee of Web Professionals Global, I got to see much of the early development of the microcredential and its supporting curriculum. So, when I had the chance to give it a test drive, I could not resist. I am a professor, and so like all professor types I am passionate about learning and can talk forever on any topic I love. I am excited for you to hear from the first class of certificate earners.” Hear From the Students Let’s hear from Dr. Castillo’s students about how they liked the course.  “What I liked about the CTelearning course is that it made you learn ways you can work with AI without letting the AI control your work. It helps you understand how to make the AI work with you and what you want to create. I also like the scenarios because it helps us get an experience of what it's like to use AI to help which work. ” –Veronica Perez “To learn about AI is a great thing considering that’s what is increasing in this economy. I feel like this program is doing a good thing teaching us high school students how to use it. Learning AI can help us in the future as we can find a path in an AI-based career or even in common life situations. I’m very glad to be able to have this opportunity as I see this as something very useful for my future.” –Josie Beltran “There were many things that I enjoyed about the AI in the Workplace course. Before this, I was always skeptical about AI, and even considered myself a hater. When I started reading the modules, I really enjoyed the new information I was learning about AI and how helpful it can be in work life, but also in real life. I also liked how there were sections in the modules that showed the dangers and cons for AI. A lot of people who are passionate about something seem to only show the bright side of it, but I really liked that the course didn’t show any bias and showed how AI can be bad as well. Another reason why I liked this was because it taught me new ways to use AI and all the capabilities it has.” –Derrek Aparicio “The program was very helpful because it helps you learn completely different things and can help prepare you for the future.” –Jesse Mendez “What I like about the program is the attention to detail throughout the course. Each action is divided into different topics, making it more accessible to users.” –Emely Perez “What I liked about the program we took was the scenarios. They allow me to see situations where I could use AI in real life. The situations were mainly in work environments, where I could really use AI to help me in situations.” –Abel Gonzales Your School Could Be Next Contact us today at hello@ctelearning.com or 877-828-1216 to schedule your free 20-minute demo. One of our team members will show you how you can bring this innovative AI curriculum into your classroom and prepare your students for success.

In Pennsylvania - Approval for New Animation Certification

By Steve Waddell • April 10, 2025
Frequent readers of our blog know we like to highlight our teachers and students across the country who are doing great work. Today we are highlighting Patrick McLane and his students. Patrick is the Illustration and Design Instructor at the Career Technology Center (CTC) of Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania and will be delivering a new certificate opportunity to his students in Fall 2025 thanks to a new partnership. Recently, career and technical education (CTE) programs in PA schools worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Career and Technical Education (BCTE) to provide an alternative to Adobe certificates for high school and CTC students. Thanks to this effort, the Certified Web Animator Certificate is now recognized in the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) by the state of Pennsylvania. The certificate is part of our Web and Computer Animation course and is backed by Web Professionals Global , our industry partner. Web Professionals Global is the industry association for all web-related careers, and all certifications are created and backed by industry professionals. The Learn and Earn partnership with Web Professionals Global allows students to earn career-building certifications while still in school, and the cost of certifications are underwritten by the CTeLearning partnership with the professional association. Editors’s Note: Formerly known as the World of Webmasters (WOW), Web Professionals Global underwent a rebranding in 2022. Certifications in state listings may still appear under the WOW umbrella. Today, most educators and industry members recognize that WOW is now known as Web Professionals Global. Patrick’s students will be exploring an exciting career pathway and earning certifications that they can take with them in their future educational and professional careers. Another bonus Patrick and his students will enjoy is the fact that the curriculum is PC, Mac and Chromebook ready. It also includes a robust online animation editor tool suite that is free with the curriculum, and there is nothing to install on the student’s device. This will ensure complete flexibility and mobility for all his learners. Let’s hear from Patrick to hear about his experience getting the certificate approved by the state and what he is looking forward to when his students take advantage of this opportunity next fall. What did your advisory committee say when you approached them about adding the Certified Web Animator Certificate and shifting away from offering only an Adobe Photoshop certification? Did they echo your sentiments about wanting to offer more to students? Our Occupational Advisory Committee was in agreement that there needed to be an alternative to the Adobe Certifications as a path to graduation for students. They felt that the Certified Web Animator Certificate was a great option. Not only did it satisfy many of the Digital Imaging requirements of our task list, it offered an opportunity for students to practice and master many soft-skills addressed in our instructional area. One of the stand outs of the Web Professionals Global certifications is their attention to soft skills. The certifications are all about building the whole professional and not someone who is proficient in just a tool or a couple skills. In this case the Web Animator certification also covers ethics, IP, project management, design process, marketing, storyboard, audio, and technical aspects of creating robust animations built on a timeline. What was the process like working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to get the Certified Web Animator Certificate approved? The process proved to be pretty painless. The documentation of your curriculum was so thorough, it made it easy for us to show alignment with our state task list. The Certified Web Animator Certificate teaches not only animation but also music, sound effects, audio engineering, storyboarding, ethics, critical thinking, and math in the workplace. What do you like about this comprehensive approach to preparing learners? I love the fact that the program incorporates various competencies. The soft skills and professional practice elements of the certification add another level of assessment for those areas of my curriculum. The production areas are an added bonus that help the students develop into more well-rounded professionals and prepare them for the workforce. How does it feel knowing you are giving your students the opportunity to earn certifications that are backed by industry, not just a testing company? It is an excellent addition to my program. Not only does it give students skills that are transferable no matter which platform a potential employer utilizes, it provides opportunities for higher level creative problem solving. What feedback have you received from your administrators about the course change and upgrading the certification options? Our administration is always appreciative when we can offer additional opportunities to students. It helps when they are marketing our program to sending school districts. What would you tell other teachers who may be interested in offering this certification to their students? If you have been searching for an alternative certification path for your students, the Certified Web Animator Certificate is an excellent option whether your program is focused on digital media, web design, or commercial and advertising design. The concepts presented in the program are industry standard and applicable to a wide range of disciplines. Contact us Today For more information about how you can help your students earn career-building certifications, contact us today at 913-764-4272 or hello@ctelearning.com . We would be happy to show you how we can help in a free 20-minute demo.

2025 Infographic Web and Mobile Game Design Career Pathway

By Steve Waddell • April 7, 2025
The demand for new web and mobile games continues to surge, driven by the staggering numbers of players worldwide. With approximately 1 in 4 people globally engaging in mobile gaming and over 1.13 billion online gamers, the market shows no signs of slowing down. We offer a Web and Mobile Video Game Design course designed to prepare middle school and high school students for this exciting career pathway. In 2024 alone, the industry witnessed the release of over one million new mobile games annually across iOS and Android platforms. These figures are subject to slight fluctuations influenced by market dynamics and global events. Notably, statistics reveal a significant presence of women in mobile gaming, constituting 63% of the player base. Furthermore, while the US contributes 29% to global mobile game spending, a substantial 71% of revenue emanates from outside the US. Currently, there are approximately 500,000 mobile gaming apps available on Android platforms. The average age of mobile gamers stands at 36.3 years, indicating a broad demographic appeal. China leads the gaming market with over 700 million gamers, while the US boasts over 191 million mobile gamers, with both numbers continuing to grow. Browser-based games, or web games, are projected to become a market worth over $9 billion by 2027, highlighting the expanding opportunities in this sector. Additionally, gamification is increasingly permeating various industries, simplifying training and process descriptions, including marketing. A recent poll indicates that 50% of startups plan to integrate gaming elements into their strategies in the near future. One aspect of game development is web app games. These games appear as mobile games, but do not need to be downloaded to the mobile device. Unlike traditional mobile games that require purchase or download from app stores, web app games are accessible through any smartphone browser. Game designers are leveraging this to bypass app store fees and directly reach a broad audience eager for new gaming experiences. Game design is a broad field and allows many different opportunities for anyone interested in this industry. The obvious are game designers and game developers, but that is only a small part of the story. To build a successful game you need graphic artists, sound effects artists, audio engineers, project managers, producers, and game testers, just to name a few. The Opportunity In the realm of career opportunities, the demand for web design skills is skyrocketing in today's digital age. From small enterprises to multinational corporations, establishing a robust online presence is imperative for global competitiveness. Learning web design not only unlocks diverse opportunities but also equips individuals with sought-after skills applicable across industries. While some designers pursue four-year degrees, many enter the field armed with industry credentials, a strong portfolio, and some post-secondary education. Employers now prioritize industry certifications and portfolios over traditional college degrees, recognizing the value of practical skills and expertise. Embarking on a career in game design offers various pathways. While a formal degree program remains an option, an increasing number of studios and employers prefer industry credentials and portfolios. Lifelong learning is emphasized, with many designers opting for self-education supplemented by industry-based certifications to gain a competitive edge. Entrepreneurial individuals may opt to establish their own design businesses, offering autonomy over projects, clients, and schedules. Freelancing is another avenue, providing flexibility in choosing clients and setting rates, along with exposure to the global market and diverse collaborations. Beyond career prospects, game design enhances problem-solving and critical thinking skills, offering continuous learning opportunities and transferable skills applicable across diverse fields. Educators are encouraged to guide students towards this high-growth pathway, unlocking doors to successful and fulfilling careers in web and mobile game design. Check out our Web and Mobile Video Game Design course and contact us for a free demo.