Iowa Students to Face 49 Teams in Test of Automotive Skill, Ingenuity

BURNSVILLE, Minn.--Michael Shultz and Brandon Thompson from Des Moines have won the title of Iowa’s best student auto technicians and are now qualified to test their skill and ingenuity against 98 other students from across the nation in Dearborn, Mich., June 24-26, at the 2007 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills national finals.

As they did at the state competition in Ankeny on May 8, 2007, the team from Des Moines will be challenged in Dearborn to find and fix the deliberate “bugs” in their assigned car as quickly as possible, then drive the perfectly repaired vehicle across the finish line. They also must score highly on a written exam testing their motor vehicle academic acumen.

Michael Shultz and Brandon Thompson, have been working with their instructor, Jim Nelson, throughout the year to prepare for the state and now the national finals.

The team beat out nine two-person teams from throughout Iowa to advance to the national finals, where they will compete for additional prizes and scholarships. Both students received multiple scholarships as a result of winning at the state level.

The annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition awards more than $6 million in prizes and scholarships and encourages students to explore careers in the automotive repair industry and to continue their training after high school. The demand for well trained technicians has been increasing steadily in recent years, and the U.S. Department of Labor estimates the auto industry will need 27 percent more new technicians every year through 2014.

“These students are the future of the industry, and we want to give them the opportunity to become the best trained auto technicians in the field,” said Phil Wedgwood, public affairs specialist. “Today’s vehicles require more than a mechanical aptitude. Successful technicians who have the opportunity to earn lucrative salaries need both computer and mechanical skills, and this competition positions them to advance their education and career potential.”

AAA offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to 50 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.