2019 Tech Comp To Award More Than $1 Million In Scholarships and Prizes

East Norriton, Pa., March 1, 2019 – The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation will hold its 26^th Annual Greater Philadelphia Automotive Technology Competition (Tech Comp) on Friday, March 8^th, where more than $1 million in scholarships, tools and prizes will be awarded to twenty-four area high school seniors.

The purpose of the Tech Comp is to build awareness for the growing need of qualified auto technicians in today’s workforce as well as spotlight their specialized skills and professionalism.  Auto technicians of the 21st Century must have highly-polished math and computer skills in addition to mechanical aptitude. This competition focuses on all of those skill sets. It provides the opportunity for elite teams of the finest automotive technical students from Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties to work against the clock in a timed, hands-on automotive technical skills competition. The students will test their knowledge at 10 workstations ranging from engine mechanical to communication skills and perform a Multi-Point Inspection of a previously-bugged vehicle.

“To give these students a chance to compete in an environment that mocks what we see every single day at the dealership level is vital to their training and professional development,” said Jason Friedman of Colonial Nissan and 2019 chairman of the competition. “These are the next generation of technicians that will play a vital part in the success of our dealerships. Whatever we can do to better prepare them for their future careers is not only a win for them but also a win for us.”

The service department at a dealership is vital to the organization’s profitability, as service makes up 37% of all employment in dealerships. With the average age of today’s technician between 55 and 58, it’s estimated that half of technicians nationwide will retire in the next 10-12 years. There has never been a greater need for qualified technicians to enter the automotive industry.

The competing teams in this year’s event are from Berks Career and Technology Center – East, Berks Career and Technology Center – West, Bucks County Technical High School, Central Montco Technical High School, Delaware County Technical School, Eastern Center for Arts and Technology, Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, North Montco Technical Career Center, A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical High School, Upper Bucks County Technical School and Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center.

The first part of the regional competition involved a 100-question written exam in November. The exam covered the eight National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) areas of the automobile, which are Engine Repair, Engine Performance, Electrical/Electronic Systems, Brakes, Heating and Air Conditioning, Suspension and Steering, Manual Drive Train and Axles and Automatic Transmissions. There were approximately 90 students who took the written exam from 20 different schools. The two highest scoring students from the top 12 schools are those who qualified for the March 8^th hands-on competition, which will take place at 900 Johnsville Blvd in Warminster.

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