The decorated apparel industry is powered by creativity, craft, and a drive to keep improving. At the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, thousands of students gathered to prove their skills in trades and creative industries, including competitions in Screen Printing, Graphics Imaging Sublimation, and T-shirt Design. For our community of printers, these events highlight the next generation of talent stepping into the field—and they’re already showing excellence.
More than 19,000 attendees came together in Atlanta for the event, including students, instructors, industry partners, and judges. Over 6,500 state champions competed across 114 skilled trades, putting their knowledge, timing, and creativity to the test. For screen printers, it was especially exciting to see young medalists proving that the passion for decorated apparel is alive and thriving.
👉 Read the full feature on Apparelist to meet the medalists and learn more about how they’re shaping the future of decorated apparel.
RELATED: RYONET AT SKILLSUSA 2025: TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCREEN PRINTERS
Why This Matters for Screen Printers
Programs like SkillsUSA do more than crown winners. They build leadership, sharpen technical ability, and connect students with real-world production experience. For the decorated apparel industry, it’s a chance to see what the future workforce will look like. Shops that invest in mentorship, internships, or simply supporting SkillsUSA competitors can help build a stronger pipeline of skilled and motivated printers.
David Gross, retired president of Conde Systems and a long-time judge for the sublimation contest, put it best: “These are our leaders of tomorrow, and SkillsUSA does an amazing job of helping kids prepare for the future by learning a skill or trade.” PRINTING United Alliance’s Josh Carruth echoed this, saying, “By supporting these students, we’re investing in the next generation of skilled professionals who will keep our craft thriving.”
Ryonet is proud to be a sponsor of SkillsUSA. Supporting the competition is part of our commitment to empowering the next wave of printers, equipping them with the tools, training, and confidence they need to build successful futures in this craft. Education has always been at the heart of what we do, and SkillsUSA is a perfect extension of that mission.
How Shops Can Get Involved
For print shop owners, there’s a takeaway here: these students represent your future employees, collaborators, or even competitors. Supporting SkillsUSA means supporting the sustainability of the entire industry. Whether that’s volunteering at competitions, offering mentorship, or opening your shop doors for job shadowing, your involvement can make a huge impact.
At Ryonet, we’ve always believed that your success starts with education. Seeing these students embrace the craft reminds us that the more knowledge we share, the stronger the screen printing community and all industries becomes.