Annette Hayden Havre Daily News ahayden@havredailynews.com
Havre High School auto maintenance instructor Merle Hoerner led two seniors to a second- place finish at the state-level AAA/Ford Auto Skills Competition May 17 at the Helena College of Technology. Seniors Spencer Ivers and Ben Peterson teamed up to prove their automotive knowledge and technical skills at the state competition and brought home a combined $42,000 in college scholarships, an extensive array of quality tools and a trophy for the school, according to Hoerner. The annual, nationwide contest is aimed at encouraging students to pursue careers in automotive technology. “At the competition, the cars are bugged so they won’t start or they run bad,” Hoerner said. “There is an invoice on the windshield that tells the students some accessories don’t work and other maintenance needs like clues. The students are timed on how long it takes them to go through the car and correct the problems. When they think they have everything fixed they drive the car into the final judging. We were actually the third team to drive their car in to judging, but we had more fixed than the second team to come in, so we took second place. I am really proud of them.” This year marked the third competition in which Hoerner has led his students to victories. Last year, his team took third place and in 2005 his team took second place, and went on to nationals when the first-place team forfeited. The process begins each year in February when 10 students are chosen from the Havre High auto maintenance class to take AAA’s written exam at the school. The top two scores are eligible to attend the hands-on competition in Helena. “I make up practice tests for the students before they take the written exam,” Hoerner said. “The test is given at the high school and then sent into the national headquarters and scored. Prior to the competition, I rented a car and held hands-on practices at my house for Ben and Spencer to practice fixing problems with the car. I wanted them to have the best chance possible.” Twenty juniors and seniors from 10 high schools across Montana competed in Helena, according to Denice Harris, with public relations for AAA MountainWest. “The contest is designed to encourage automotive students from across the country to pursue careers in the automotive industry by learning about hightech equipment, the need to be well trained and complex, modern vehicle systems,” Harris said. “Each two-student team strived to correctly diagnose and repair intentionally installed faults or “bugs” on identical vehicles. Every student qualified for the competition by completing online exams in February.” This was the first year the qualifying exam was conducted online, which allowed more students to compete than in previous years, according to Harris. The new format also emulated professional technical certification and training programs such as the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and automotive manufacturers, who are using Internet-based distance learning and assessment programs in lieu of off-site training and testing. “As the technology used in vehicles continues to evolve and increase in complexity, young people who want to excel as automotive technicians need opportunities to get the best training possible,” Harris said. “The Ford/AAA Auto Skills competition provides students with the opportunities to obtain the technical training required to work on all kinds of vehicles, including those with the newest advances.” Each year many of participants move on to promising careers in the automotive industry as a result of participation in the competition and the scholarships they win to some of the top technical schools in the country. Harris said there is a high demand for well-trained technicians. “According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the need for qualified technicians will grow by between 9 and 17 percent through the year 2014, meaning current competitors will be well positioned to find employment upon completion of their training,” she said. 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, Harris added. “Competition participants are tech-savvy young people interested in positioning themselves for a rewarding career as automotive technicians,” Harris said. First place in the state competition went to Capital High School’s James E. Thomas and Brandon L. Claassen with Lynn Carr as their instructor. Flathead High School’s Dale D. Henry and Preston Motacame came in third, led by instructor Jeff Steiner, according to Harris. At the national finals, the Capital High School team will square off against teams from the 49 other states in a two-part contest consisting of a written exam and vehicle repair exercise to take place at Ford Headquarters. Ford and AAA will recognize one team as the best student auto technicians in the nation. Overall, more then $6 million in scholarships and prizes will be awarded. For winning the state contest, Thomas and Claassen earned scholarships in Ford Motor Company’s ASSET (Automotive Student Service Educational Training) or FACT (Ford Accelerated Credential Training) programs. Across the nation, more than 7,500 high school juniors and seniors competed this year. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2006-2007 Occupational Outlook Handbook reported that formal automotive technician training is the best preparation for jobs as automotive service technicians and mechanics,” Harris said. “Full-time automobile technicians earned an average hourly wage of $15.89 in May 2005, according to the BLS, and nearly half worked more than 40 hours a week. The highest 10 percent earned more than $26.45 per hour. Automotive service technicians working for local governments or automotive dealers averaged more than $40,000 annually, a Bureau survey found. “This contest is a great way to show students that they can have successful careers as auto technicians,” Harris added. “Getting a good educational experience is a great first step towards making a successful career in the field.”
