New York High School Students Take 1st Place at National Automotive Technology Competition

NEW YORK, June 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Alex Gross and Daniel White, students at Orange-Ulster BOCES High School in Goshen, New York, finished in 1st place at the 2011 National Automotive Technology Competition. The students are sponsored by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.  The Competition, the auto industry's largest school-to-work initiative, pits the nation's best high school automotive vocational education students against one another for the title of 'America's Top Technician'.  

The National Finals are possible thanks to the generous contributions of over 125 industry sponsors including automakers, industry organizations, OEM suppliers, educational institutions, and dealers associations from across the country.  This year, prizes and scholarships totaling more than $3 million were awarded to the participants.  Snap-on, the Competition's Official Tool Supplier, provided tool sets to all competitors. American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton was the events keynote speaker.

"For more than two decades this competition has helped prepare high school students for the work place.  In addition to the valuable prizes and scholarships that these students win, the National Automotive Technology Competition is a tremendous opportunity for some of the best students in America to be introduced to various automobile manufacturers, auto dealers, auto industry suppliers, and college recruiters," said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association. "These students represent the future of the industry and will become the single most important link between manufacturer and the consumer."

The top three winning teams:

First Place

Students:  Alex Gross and Daniel White (Team Lexus)

School: Orange-Ulster BOCES, Goshen, NY

Instructor: Tony Gualtieri   Association: Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association

Second Place

Students: Mitchell Sommerfeldt and Ryan Stauske (Team Mazda)

School: Grafton High School, Grafton, WI

Instructor: Carl Hader  Association: Automobile Dealers Association of Mega Milwaukee

Third Place

Students: Sean O'Mara and Tyler Willover (Team Chevrolet)

School: LoGuidice Educational Center, Fredonia, NY

Instructor: Michael LoManto  Association: Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association

"Over the past two decades the National Automotive Technology Competition has established itself as a leader in automotive education, piquing the interest of thousands of students each year.  It gives students the opportunity to develop their skills in a fun, competitive, and rewarding environment.  With the increasing use of sophisticated technology in cars today as well as an aging work population, it's critical that the automobile industry attracts talented, young minds into this business," Schienberg added.

How the Contest Works

The rules of the contest are simple. Each team of students is assigned an automobile that is rigged to malfunction in a number of ways. Using a repair order with actual customer complaints, the student teams must diagnose and repair the problem within the allotted time, using the manufacturer's specialty tools.  Each "bug" correctly diagnosed and repaired is worth a number of points, depending on the level of difficulty.  

In addition, the students' knowledge of emissions control systems, alignment, electrical test equipment, airbag components, oscilloscope usage and mechanical measurement equipment is tested during a series of intensive work station sessions.  To prepare for the competition, students are trained at local new car dealerships and the skills they learn from master technicians prepare them to succeed in the working world.  

The National Automotive Technology Competition was founded by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, held at the New York International Auto Show.  It is an industry-wide school-to-work initiative supported by nearly every major automaker, technical institutions, OEM suppliers, automotive parts and supplies companies, individual dealers, and dealers associations across the country. For more information visit www.nationalautotech.com.

1st Place Prizes

For the School:

• Toyota Donation Vehicle for their Automotive Department compliments of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
• Megatech Corporation's newest Electricity, Magnetism, and Materials Solution Trainer compliments of Megatech Corporation

For the Students:

• Snap-on Gift Certificate for $10,000 of Snap-on Tools compliments of General Motors
• Snap-on Classic 78 54" Roll Cabinet
• Snap-on Tool Bag and Pop-Up Screwdriver Kit
• All Expense Paid Trip to the Norwalk Ohio NHRA Race in June 2011 compliments of Cengage Learning – Chilton & Delmar and Summit Racing
• Automotive Training Center Full Tuition Scholarship
• Lincoln Technical Institute Full Tuition Scholarship
• Universal Technical Institute Full Core Program Tuition Scholarship
• University of Northwestern Ohio Full Tuition Scholarship
• Ohio Technical College $20,000 Scholarship
• New England Institute of Technology $2,000 Scholarship
• Gifts from Cengage Learning – Chilton & Delmar, Ford, Lincoln Technical Institute, General Motors, Ingersoll Rand – Industrial Technologies, New York Automotive & Diesel Institute, Permatex, Snap-on Tools, Subaru, Summit Racing,  Toyota T-TEN, Tenneco, Inc., Universal Technical Institute

SOURCE New York International Auto Show