South Dakota High School Students Vie for Opportunity to Compete for National Title:‘America’s Next Top Auto Technicians’

 
Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition Offers $10 Million in Scholarships

Sioux Falls, South Dakota – April 14, 2009 – AAA and Ford are handing high school students the keys to jumpstart their careers in the automotive repair industry as they team up to reward students for their automotive knowledge and technical skills.  The competition is especially relevant during a time when the nation needs more skilled automotive technicians because more and more motorists are fixing their older vehicles instead of buying new ones.

On April 16, 2009, 12 juniors and seniors representing six high schools across South Dakota will meet at Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls to face off in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition.  Each two-student team will race the clock to correctly identify and fix intentionally installed “bugs” on identical Ford Focus vehicles.  After properly diagnosing and repairing their vehicle, the teammates must drive their assigned vehicle across the finish line, where the car will be inspected for accuracy and workmanship.

The winning team members not only receive scholarships and other valuable prizes, but also will represent South Dakota at the National Finals in Dearborn, Mich. on June 14-16, 2009.

“With so many motorists hanging onto their vehicles longer in this economic climate, it really underscores the desperate need for skilled automotive technicians in this country,” said Marilyn Buskohl, AAA South Dakota.  “This competition rewards aspiring automotive technicians and, we hope, inspires them to get the best training possible so that they can embark on promising careers within the automotive repair industry, possibly with AAA or Ford.”

Both the national and the statewide competitions are organized with the support of Ford personnel, local automotive instructors, and AAA’s Approved Auto Repair program, a public service AAA performs to identify quality repair facilities throughout the country.

The competition will begin at 10:30 am on Thursday, April 16th on the Southeast Technical Institute’s campus on the south parking lot of the Ed Wood Tech Center in Sioux Falls.  The race to diagnose and repair these ‘bugged’ vehicles and may very well be completed within half an hour.