Top U.S. High School Auto Technicians Compete for Scholarships and Prizes

04/10/96

The American Automobile Association reported that this week brought the start of a competition among the nation's best high school automotive technicians. The high school students will work in teams of two and race against the clock to win a share in the $3 million worth of scholarships and prizes that will be awarded during the 50 state finals of the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Quality Care Challenge.

Across the nation teams of two high school seniors will race the clock as they try to diagnose and repair deliberately disabled Ford vehicles. The teams that make the quickest and most accurate repairs will win the state championship and advance to the national finals (June 17, Washington, D.C.).

Each state champion team will receive scholarships to a school participating in Ford Motor Co.'s Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) program. Students in the program earn a two-year associate degree in automotive technology and can "earn-as-they-learn" by becoming paid apprentices at Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealerships.

In addition to the Ford prizes, 32 schools from the Career College Association have made a $1.2 million commitment to fund scholarships. The Career College Association will reward state teams with scholarships that range from $3,000 to $17,700. The funds will pay tuition for automotive technology courses ranging from six-month certificate programs to two-year associate degree programs.

Finally, Northwestern College in Lima, Ohio, will award a total of $515,000 in scholarships to AUTO SKILLS participants nationwide. These scholarships can be used for the college's two-year associate degree program.

Here's a list of Career College Association schools that have offered scholarships in the Auto Skills National Quality Care Challenge:

     ARIZONA:       NEC/AAI, Glendale
		    Universal Technical Institute, Phoenix
     CALIFORNIA:    Sequoia Institute, Fremont
     COLORADO:      Denver Institute of Technology, Denver
     CONNECTICUT:   Baran Institute of Technology, Windsor
     ILLINOIS:      Lincoln Technical Institute, Norridge
		    Lincoln Technical Institute, Oak Lawn
		    Universal Technical Institute, Glendale Heights
		    Vatterott College, Quincy
     INDIANA:       ITT Technical Institute, Fort Wayne
		    Lincoln Technical Institute, Indianapolis
     MASSACHUSSETS: TAD Technical Institute, Chelsea
     MARYLAND:      Lincoln Technical Institute, Baltimore
		    Lincoln Technical Institute, Landover
     MINNESOTA:     Dunwoody Institute, Minneapolis
     NEBRASKA:      Universal Technical Institute, Omaha
     NEW JERSEY:    Lincoln Technical Institute, Mahwah
		    Lincoln Technical Institute, Union
		    Pennco Tech, Blackwood
     NEW YORK:      Apex Technical School, New York
     OKLAHOMA:      Platt College, Oklahoma City
     PENNSYLVANIA:  Automotive Training Center, Exton
		    Lincoln Technical Institute, Philadelphia
		    Pennco Tech, Bristol
		    Rosedale Technical Institute, Pittsburgh
		    Remington Education Center, Blairsville
     TENNESSEE:     Nashville Auto-Diesel College, Nashville
     TEXAS:         American Trades, Dallas
		    Lincoln Technical Institute, Grand Prairie
		    Universal Technical Institute, Houston
		    Western Technical Institute, El Paso
     WYOMING:       Wyoming Technical Institute, Laramie

     Motech Education Center in Livonia, Mich., and the New England
     Institute of Technology in Warwick, R.I., also are providing
     scholarships at state-level contests.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel