NLSC ATLANTA FAQ

SkillsUSA’s main goal in this search was to identify a city that could meet the immediate and future needs of our growing NLSC, the nation’s career and technical education hotspot.

SkillsUSA began the search process in 2022.

Twenty-eight host-city options were considered. That list was narrowed down to four finalists.

• Atlanta is recognized as the #1 convention city nationwide by the Convention Cities Index (CCI).

• Atlanta received the second highest CCI safety rating of the four finalist cities. (The top city could not compete with Atlanta in other key areas.)

• Atlanta is within a two-hour flight for 80% of the U.S. population, and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offers more flights than any other airport in the country.

• The city is home to thousands of hotel rooms (with more hotels under construction) within walking distance of the convention and entertainment district.

• Atlanta boasts world-class venues equipped to house our growing NLSC events. (The Georgia World Congress Center is the fourth largest convention center in the U.S.)

• Atlanta provided SkillsUSA with — by far — the most favorable cost benefits of all competing cities, crucial in allowing us to create the best experiences possible for our attendees.

• Atlanta is recognized as a global hub of innovation, and its positioning as “the place where talent converges to power the new economy” perfectly aligns with SkillsUSA’s positioning as “the #1 workforce development organization for students.”

SkillsUSA’s NLSC is typically held during the last full week of June each year. We are currently sharing the following official dates through 2026:

• June 24-28, 2024

• June 23-27, 2025

• June 1-5, 2026*

*The typical date pattern for our NLSC was changed for 2026 to accommodate the FIFA World Cup being held in Atlanta. Learn more about this change here.

Stay up to date with everything related to SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) at nlsc.skillsusa.org.

The 2026 National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta will now be held from June 1-5, 2026. This is a change from the original June 22-26 dates.

On Feb. 4, 2024, the city of Atlanta announced they’d been selected as a FIFA World Cup host city for eight matches, including one semifinal match. The dates of those matches conflict with our previous 2026 NLSC dates. Because of the size and scope of the FIFA event, the huge influx of spectators anticipated and the associated demands on the city’s resources and infrastructure, SkillsUSA decided that holding our NLSC alongside the FIFA event was not a feasible option.

With any event SkillsUSA holds, the safety of our members is always our primary focus, and we are deeply appreciative of the efforts Atlanta has made to ensure that safety since becoming our NLSC host city in 2022. However, the unique and unparalleled size of the FIFA World Cup of soccer — the world’s largest sporting event — would strain any city’s resources and infrastructure.

The 2026 World Cup will be spread across 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, with an expected 5.5 million fans attending in person. Hundreds of thousands of those fans will be in Atlanta during matches held from June 15-July 15, each match comparable in size and scope to an NFL Super Bowl. The security and logistical challenges of holding our NLSC alongside this event are tremendous, including limitations to essential services, accommodation, transportation and more. Moving forward with our original dates would raise safety, security and logistical concerns for our students to what we consider unacceptable levels.

With the SkillsUSA Championships infrastructure firmly in place in Atlanta and the millions of dollars in equipment we warehouse there, it is not economically feasible to move our conference to a different city (and then move everything back) for just one year. The costs of such a move would be extremely detrimental to the financial health of the organization.

Moving the dates into July would result in the organization effectively hosting two NLSCs in the same academic fiscal year (which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30). This would not be financially feasible for our schools or the organization.

SkillsUSA will be working very closely with all affected stakeholders — beginning with our state association directors — to address all concerns, including potential conflicts with state conferences and graduation dates. We’d also like to stress that Atlanta continues to be a strong and valued partner, and they will be supporting us through every aspect of this change. Look for more specific information coming in the days ahead.

For additional questions, please reach out to our SkillsUSA Customer Care Team at customercare@skillsusa.org or 844-875-4557.

Yes, the 2027 dates will return to the normal NLSC date structure.