Tony Pack, chair of the North Texas Automobile Dealers’ education committee, said one of the most gratifying aspects of developing the North Texas Automobile Dealers Auto Tech Competition, which launched in 2019, has been creating a program where auto manufacturers are “working together instead of fighting each other.”
Here’s an overview of how the event is run.
Qualifying high school seniors are selected on their performances in four National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence entry-level tests: maintenance and light repair, steering and suspension, brakes and electrical.
The top three students from each school are then paired with technician mentors from a participating dealership who will teach them that automaker’s servicing procedures. (In the recent competition, there were more dealerships than schools available.)
The first round of the two-day competition consisted of a workstation challenge from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students were tested on their command of vehicle-service information, tools and instruments.
They also practiced being interviewed by a prospective employer. These scores were added to the second day’s results.
On the second day, 40 teams compete in hands-on troubleshooting. Teams must interpret a work order, and diagnose and fix several problems. Each “bug” is weighted on difficulty.
The members of the three teams earning the most points each received at least $4,000 in Snap-On tools and were offered a five-week, “fast-track” auto-tech training program that blends classroom instruction and paid employment at a new-car dealership. The winning schools’ instructors earned gift cards.
