Elevator Industry in the Spotlight for Future Skilled Workforce at SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference

National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII), the premier national trade association providing advocacy, codes, safety expertise and industry research for the elevator and escalator industry, in partnership with the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) and the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund (EIWPF), will be participating in the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC), the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce that attracts more than 17,500 attendees, including students, instructors, industry partners, government officials, and administrators.

Being held June 23-27, 2025, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, SkillsUSA NLSC features the SkillsUSA Championships – where more than 6,500 state champions compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 114 skilled and leadership competitions – as well as the largest technical education trade show in the U.S., TECHSPO.

NEII and its elevator industry partners will be exhibiting at TECHSPO for the third straight year, showcasing a variety of interactive projects that include a virtual reality escape room that takes place in an elevator hoistway. Attendees can also learn more about the elevator industry’s Helmets to Hardhats program, which connects retired and transitioning active-duty military service members with skilled training and quality career opportunities in the construction industry.

“SkillsUSA is a wonderful opportunity for the elevator industry to raise awareness around the skills that transfer from many of the SkillsUSA competition areas to the elevator industry,” said Amy Blankenbiller, Executive Director of NEII. “This is such an exciting time to work in the elevator industry with digitization advancements and urbanization demands helping usher in a new era in building transportation. This next generation of service technicians and installers will have the opportunity to help elevate this industry to even greater heights.”

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn from some of the top elevator service technicians in the world as mechanics from NEII member companies will be available throughout the event to share their experiences and provide more information about a typical day on a jobsite.

To showcase the skills and innovation of the elevator industry, the SkillsUSA booth includes four try-a-skill stations featuring wiring run buttons, measurement, AC motors, and an incredible virtual reality escape room scenario to showcase hoisting and rigging.

In addition, the elevator industry partners are sponsoring an event for SkillsUSA advisors to help ensure teachers supporting the SkillsUSA program in the classrooms across the country are prepared to promote opportunities in the elevator industry.

SkillsUSA is a national organization with chapters in every state representing more than 442,000 career and technical education students and teachers spread across middle schools, high schools and college / postsecondary institutions nationwide. Its vision is to produce the most highly skilled workforce in the world, providing every member the opportunity for career success. SkillsUSA has inspired 15 million students and teachers since its inception in 1965.

“It’s so important that people curious about entering the elevator and escalator industry understand how many trade skills are incorporated into the work of an elevator mechanic. With our world class apprenticeship program, I’m confident anyone with trade knowledge will be successful and can find their place in this innovative industry,” added David Morgan, NEIEP Executive Director.

For more information on the elevator industry, go to neiep.org, neii.org and EIWPF.org. 

About NEII

NEII is the premier trade association representing the global leaders in the building transportation industry. Its members install, maintain, and/or manufacture elevators, escalators, moving walks, and other building transportation products. NEII‘s membership includes the six major international companies – Fujitec America, Inc., KONE, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., Otis Elevator Company, Schindler Elevator Corporation, Thyssenkrupp Elevator Company and several other companies across the country. Collectively, the NEII members represent approximately eighty percent of the total hours worked within the elevator and escalator industry, employ more than 25,000 people in the U.S. and indirectly support hundreds of thousands of American jobs in affiliate industries. 

About NEIEP

NEIEP empowers union elevator constructors with the knowledge and skills they need to reach the highest standard of professionalism and safety in the industry. NEIEP’s purpose is to develop, implement, and maintain curriculum for members of the IUEC, offering a network of support throughout members’ careers. This support encompasses apprenticeship training, continuing education, instructor training, labs, and certifications. NEIEP’s core values can be summed up in a handful of words: safety, inclusivity, community, and support. These values guide the program’s commitment to providing the best education and support to the men and women of the IUEC, whether they are in class or on the job. Visit neiep.org for more information.

About EIWPF

EIWPF is an industry-wide labor management cooperation committee. There are over 600 employers in the elevator industry across the United States and Canada and over 30,000 organized elevator constructors working for them. The fund was created for the purpose of improving labor-management relationships, competitiveness, productivity, organizational effectiveness, and economic development.