LA Auto Club: California Students Revved Up About Chance to
be Nation's Top Young Automotive Technicians
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Fact: Industry reports indicate a current shortage of
approximately 32,000 auto industry service technicians
nationally. The U.S. Dept. of Labor reports as much as
a 20 percent increase in technicians is needed by 2012.
Fact: Today's vehicles are more high-tech than ever and are
being equipped with increasingly sophisticated computer
technology.
Challenge: To encourage youths to pursue careers as skilled
auto technicians.
What: The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills nationwide competition. A
national automotive repair competition for high school juniors
and seniors. Two-student teams from the 50 states will meet in
Washington, D.C., to take part in a written test and hands-on
competition. The result will be a national student team
champion will emerge.
Student teams will meet on the competition field near the
Lincoln Memorial to race against the clock to diagnose and
repair identically "bugged" vehicles. Scores from the written
and hands-on segments of the competition will be used to
determine the best young auto technicians in the country.
Who: Andrew Canfield and Garret Raines from Ramona High School in
Ramona, Calif., qualified as California's state champion. The
team, coached by Michael Jordan, will now face 49 other teams
in Washington.
Why: There is a need for qualified, well-trained auto technicians
and it is growing. The goal of the Ford/AAA Student Auto
Skills competition is to encourage young people to seek jobs
in this field and to continue their automotive technology
education in order to graduate and qualify for a top-paying
career in a growing job market.
When: Monday, June 27; 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. competition; 11:15 to
11:45 a.m. trophy presentations.
Where: Washington, D.C.; Ohio Drive and Independence Avenue; South
of the Lincoln Memorial.
