A national competition showcasing STEM education in the automotive sector came to Dover international Speedway Wednesday.
16 of state’s top automotive tech students from 8 high schools competed in the 29th Annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition at the Monster Mile.
WDDE visits the 29th Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition at the Dover International Speedway.
WDDE visits the 29th Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition at the Dover International Speedway.
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Each two-man team had 90 minutes to diagnose and repair an identically broken vehicle and drive it over the finish line. Their accuracy and workmanship was also judged.
AAA’s Michael Desenzo managed the competition. He says it’s critical to build a pool of candidates to fill jobs like these that require specialized technical skills.
“It isn’t all about book learning anymore," said Desenzo. "It’s tangible, hands on and we need to feed these industries. We are in the high technology age. We are going to need more technologically savvy people who don’t necessarily go to college.
Hodgson Vo-Tech High School auto body instructor Robert Langshaw added it’s important remember that STEM education isn’t just about getting students ready for college.
"Not everybody is going to go to college," said Langshaw. "Who’s going to fix your car? You need people that can take things apart, put things back together without breaking them, can diagnose things, and find a way to fix them.”
This year’s winners were Hodgson's Donald Palmer and Thomas Short, the only team to successfully get their car across the finish line in the allotted time.
"It puts us in everyday scenarios and tests your ability to diagnose everything," said Palmer. "It was a really fun competition."
Palmer and Short move on to compete in the national finals at Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan next month.