GRAND BLANC, MICH — ACDelco is helping address the critical automotive technician shortage that the U.S. currently faces with its support of SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a national organization serving more than 264,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled and service occupations.
ACDelco has been named an official sponsor of SkillsUSA. Organizations qualify as a SkillsUSA’s official sponsor through cash or documented in-kind donations of $10,000 or more in calendar 2004. ACDelco and the GM Foundation sponsor the SkillsUSA Automotive Service Technology competition, which takes place at the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, June 23-25, in Kansas City, Mo.
The competition requires students to demonstrate professionalism and the ability to apply critical thinking. Although technical skills are fundamentally important, the students who do well in the contest are the ones not only familiar with vehicle systems — using the tools and performing the tasks — but also are able to think through a problem and recognize what is needed to get the best results.
Contestants perform jobs and skills based on the task list outlined by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. Workstations consist of on-vehicle, simulations, bench and component testing, as well as a written test. Contestants will be judged on technical competency, accuracy, quality, safety, and ability to follow directions. There are 11 skill stations plus the written test.
“ACDelco is proud to be an Official Sponsor of SkillsUSA,” said Susan Christophersen, ACDelco manager, product service and training development, and a member of the SkillsUSA AST Technical Committee. “ACDelco has a long history of supporting technical education, and we believe that the SkillsUSA AST national competition helps prepare students for the challenges of a career in the automotive industry. In addition, the Championships raise public awareness of the highly advanced skills and education necessary to repair vehicles.”
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