LINN , Mo.- Gov. Eric Greitens told 400 mostly high school students Friday he was excited to visit with them and watch their competition at State Technical College of Missouri's main campus.
"We know we're going to have a fantastic competition today," the governor said during his 3-minute address. "No matter what happens today, when we go to Nationals, I expect Missouri to win!"
The National Conference will be in Louisville, Kentucky, in June.
The governor's audience Friday morning was only a portion of the nearly 2,300 students attending the SkillsUSA competition, because others already were competing and, under the rules, couldn't leave the competition to attend the governor's appearance.
But some visited with him later in the morning, as he toured several State Tech facilities.
Skills USA (www.skillsusa.org/about) describes itself as "a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student excel (and) improves the quality of America's skilled workforce through a structured program of citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training."
Braden Moser, a high school senior from Excelsior Springs, heads the SkillsUSA-Missouri conference this year.
"Our state conference is more about learning throughout the entire year, mastering these skills and getting hands-on experience," Moser told the News Tribune. "This conference is a chance to showcase what they've learned and also, at the same time, learn more - because here we have industry representatives who are hosting these competitions.
"They're using industry-recognized standards, ensuring that everything is up-to-date - it's really just an educational experience all around."
This year's competition began Thursday and ends today.
Students could compete in one or more of nearly 100 different skill fields - with first-place finishers heading to Louisville in June.
Moser was a first-place winner last year in information technology services "directly related to my class as a computer technician," he explained; he took ninth place in the Nationals competition.
"It was a very humbling opportunity for me to be able to work with so many great computer technicians," he said, "and learn from them and talk with them and learn their tips and tricks - and share mine as well with them."
Greitens told the morning assembly: "What we're doing here today is not just important for the state of Missouri to win a competition - it's actually essential to the state of Missouri's prosperity.
"For us to make sure that we have a thriving, prosperous economy, rooted in the core values of hard work and personal responsibility, we have to have a trained, excited, capable workforce.
"And the extraordinary work that you guys are doing at SkillsUSA represents the very work that we need to be promoting throughout the state!"
Greitens' tour of the State Tech facilities was guided by college President Shawn Strong.
The governor told the News Tribune near the end of the visit: "I'm inspired by these young people who are out here challenging themselves, and I'm really excited.
"I'd encourage a lot of students around the state of Missouri to look at places like State Tech."
Strong said after the governor's visit: "We hear the statement that 'State Tech is the best-kept secret in Missouri' far too often. Until you come back, and see the highly specialized technical laboratories we have here, they don't know what a gem we have here."
State Tech officials said Greitens was the first governor to visit the campus east of Linn.
"By having him here, he can see that we're not like any other school in the state, or every other school in the state," Strong told the News Tribune. "We are very, very different. All we do are specialized, technical degrees and they're very expensive. (And) I think it's good for the governor to see that."
Missouri's public colleges and universities are taking cuts to their core budgets in both the state budget Greitens proposed and the version passed by the House this week.
Strong acknowledged he talked with the governor about budget needs but didn't provide any details of that discussion.
During his address to the students, Greitens also thanked the "fantastic" teachers who helped the students get ready for the SkillsUSA competition.
"My life changed when I was in high school, because I had so many fantastic coaches and teachers and mentors," the governor said. "And I really appreciate your service."
Part of its mission, SkillsUSA reported, is enhancing "the lives and careers of students, instructors and industry representatives as they strive to be champions at work."