Henrico students to demonstrate job skills at Career Rodeo Skills Challenge Jan. 22

From voltage to veterinary science, Henrico County Public Schools students will demonstrate their skills for potential employers at the 2025 Career and Technical Education Career Rodeo Skills Challenge, to be held Jan. 22 at the Richmond Raceway Complex.

This year’s event will provide a new crop of students the chance to launch their career while also giving employers the opportunity to fill critical positions with skilled employees. (Watch a video about the 2024 CTE Career Rodeo Skills Challenge here.)
 
The event will feature 34 stations at which students can showcase skills they’ve learned in the school division’s career and technical education programs, to form connections and lay the groundwork for employment.

Students from HCPS’ three Advanced Career Education — or ACE – centers will solve work-based challenges in front of potential employers, who can request resumes and even interview students on the spot. As at a traditional rodeo, the HCPS participants will wear contestant numbers as they show off their skills, to make it easier for spectators to identify them.

After past editions of the Career Rodeo Skills Challenge, employers requested resumes and interviews from hundreds of students.

The event will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the raceway complex, 600 East Laburnum Avenue.
 
The CTE Career Rodeo Skills Challenge is the second of a three-part annual HCPS series of events designed to connect students and employers.

At the CTE Life-Ready Expo in September, employers staffed booths and talked with students and families about career possibilities and potential earnings. The third installment of the series will be April 22 at the CTE Letter-of-Intent Signing Day. Students and employers will gather to celebrate their new partnerships at signing ceremonies resembling those held for high school athletes. The events are coordinated by HCPS’ Department of Workforce and Career Development.