SkillsUSA has selected Alexis Squyres as the official competitor for CNC Milling at the 2026 WorldSkills Competition. This prestigious international skills competition, often referred to as the “Olympics of skilled trades,” will be held Sept. 22 -27, 2026, in Shanghai, China.

Squyres, a 2025 graduate of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster, Pa., is the 2024 SkillsUSA Pennsylvania college/postsecondary state champion in the CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer competition. She went on to become the national bronze medal winner at the SkillsUSA Championships that year. The SkillsUSA Championships are part of the annual National Leadership & Skills Conference held each June in Atlanta.

“To be selected for the position is amazing to me,” Squyres said. “It makes me reflect and say, ‘I must be doing a good job,’ if I am the one that’s able to represent the U.S. and the skilled folks that come from the SkillsUSA program.”

SkillsUSA serves as the official U.S. representative to WorldSkills International. All members of the U.S. delegation are top finishers in their respective national career competitions, which they qualified for by winning at the state-level.

“The state and national competitions taught me to constructively approach frustrations and adapt to changes,” Squyres said. “I learned not to be set on just the goal of winning, rather take advantage of the opportunity to pick up all the details of the experience, which the WorldSkillsUSA team has already been echoing to me.”

CNC Milling is a subtractive manufacturing process. The competition evaluates each competitor’s ability to independently plan and program jobs for CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling machines and provide instructions for operators to execute.

Squyres began learning about CNC Milling in high school at Schuylkill Technology Center as part of the Precision Machining Technology program.

“SkillsUSA is probably what really got me to the CNC world,” she said, noting that her interest in career and technical education began in middle school toying around in her dad’s welding shop. “I wanted to do the competitions that I had heard about years before. My instructor, knowing that the CNC competitions went up to the national level, suggested I become a 3-axis CNC programmer. I spent the majority of my time inside and outside of school extremely focused on learning and preparing for the competitions.”

Her success also has led to a career with Phillips Corporation, a global manufacturing solutions provider. Squyres, who now resides in Greensboro, N.C., travels to machine shops across the Carolinas teaching others how to use their CNC machines and programming software.

Squyres expert for the WorldSkills Competition is Alden “JR” Colvin, a Precision Machining, Quality Control and Advanced Manufacturing instructor/program director at Madison College (Wisconsin) and a SkillsUSA advisor for more than two decades. Colvin will plan and manage the technical aspects of Squyres training for WorldSkills, which includes weekly virtual sessions and in-person training both in the U.S. and Europe.

Squyres said she’s excited to have been selected for the U.S. delegation and have  the opportunity to travel and connect with the WorldSkills community.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with experts who will be able to teach me better and different processes, and will give me something to take home for my own skills and at work,” she said.

Squyres’ participation in the 2026 WorldSkills is supported by Tennant Company, an official partner of SkillsUSA.

CNC Milling is the sixth competition in which the U.S. delegation will compete during WorldSkills. WorldSkills brings together young people, industry, education, and government leaders from around the world to advance career and technical education and training. Competitors vie for international honors in skill competitions, showcasing dozens of trade skills.