AAA Holds Skills Competition for Student Auto Technicians
BURNSVILLE, Minn.--April 18, 2006--AAA and Ford once again will determine the best young auto technicians in the country. Minnesota students will compete in the hands-on portion of the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition on Wednesday, April 26, 2006, at the Hennepin Technical College (9000 Brooklyn Boulevard, Brooklyn Park, parking lot 4). Contest preparation will begin at 8 a.m., competition held 9:30 - 11 a.m., and award ceremony at 12:45 p.m.Initial qualifying written exams for the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills program were administered to high school automotive program teams in February and March, and the top ten Minnesota teams will participate in this hands-on competition. Ford Motor Company, through Hertz Rental Car, will provide 2006 model year autos that are "bugged" with identical problems that the students must diagnose in the 90-minute contest. The team fixing the most auto problems in the least amount of time will win the state competition.
The winning team will advance to the national competition, held June 25-27, 2006, where teams from all 50 states will compete in another written exam and hands-on competition to take place on the Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, MI. Teams that win at the state or national level will receive scholarship funds for two Ford automotive training programs: ASSET (Automotive Student Service Educational Training) or FACT (Ford Accelerated Credential Training). Scholarships also come from some of the nation's top technical schools. In all, more than 6.5 million dollars in scholarships and prizes will be awarded to participants in the nationwide program. There are 1,056 schools registered to compete nationwide.
"These competitions encourage teens to explore the automotive technology field," said Gary Klopp Director, Automotive Services, AAA Minnesota/Iowa. "Skilled technicians are needed, with not only a mechanical aptitude, but also strong computer and electronic aptitude."
In addition, there is a growing need to infuse young talent into a field in which numbers have been declining recently. Industry figures report a shortage of approximately 32,000 service technicians nationally. As of the latest U.S. Department of Labor report, the need for new technicians will increases as much as 20 percent by the year 2012.
Organizers also point to the financial benefit of this career, where starting salaries for entry-level technicians are approximately $30,000 - $35,000 per year. Master technicians in some areas can earn between $70,000 - $100,000 annually.
Competitions in each state and at the national level are organized with the support of AAA's Approved Auto Repair program, Ford personnel and local educators.
Minnesota 2006 Student Auto Skills Contest Participants Ada Borup High School, Ada Instructor: John Rikhus Students: Jacob Demarais and Jared Klemetson Blue Earth Area High School, Blue Earth Instructor: Gary Engler Students: Tharen Haugh and Trevor Miller Burnsville High School, Burnsville Instructor: Russell Tesmer Students: Christoper Olsen and Lee Ricke Cambridge Isanti High School, Cambridge Instructor: Frank Malone Students: Jon Blumhoefer and Eric Fredricks Fairmont High School, Fairmont Instructor: Curtis Christensen Students: Jeffrey Cox and Garrett Gieseke Faribault High School, Faribault Instructor: Mark Lessman Students: Justin Angelow and Jasper King Mesabi East High School, Aurora Instructor: George Haraden Students: James Little and Garrett Mirau Moorhead High School, Moorhead Instructor: Darvin Miller Students: Brad Rassier and Sean Richards New Ulm High School, New Ulm Instructor: Joel Boehlke Students: Jessica Havemeier and Matt Kamm Northfield High School, Northfield Instructor: Steve Taggart Students: Nicholas Gardner and Norbert Michel
AAA offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than 48 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA Minnesota/Iowa is part of The Auto Club Group, with 4.1 million members in eight Midwest states.
