Foundation Announces Winners of its 29th Annual Auto Technology Competition

East Norriton, Pa., March 28, 2022 – The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation held its 29th Annual Greater Philadelphia Auto Technology Competition (Tech Comp) on Friday, March 25. At the event, 22 high school seniors put their automotive skills to the test in a hands-on technician skills challenge and competed for more than $1 million in scholarships, tools and prizes. First place honors went to Benjamin Johnson and Kadin Frey (led by Instructor Keith Nichols) of Berks Career and Technology Center East who walked away with more than $280,000 in scholarships and prizes collectively. The team was sponsored by Turnpike Chevrolet.

During the timed, hands-on automotive technical skills competition, students tested their knowledge at 10 workstations and performed a Multi-Point Inspection of a new vehicle. The competing teams were all local and from the following area schools: Berks Career and Technology Center – East, Berks Career and Technology Center – West, Bucks County Technical High School, Burlington County Institute of Technology, Central Montco Technical High School, Chester County Technical College High School, Delaware County Technical High School, Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, North Montco Technical Career Center and Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center.

As mentioned, Berks Career and Technology Center East took first place at the event. Second place honors went to Scott Chester and Kurt Schoenmier of Middle Bucks Institute of Technology. The team, which was sponsored by Keystone Volvo Cars and led by Instructor Robert Schwarz, collected more than $186,000 in prizes. Robert Calhoun and Joshua Davidson of Berks Career and Technology Center West collected more than $96,000 in earnings as the third-place winners. Sponsored by Piazza Honda of Reading, they were under the direction of Instructor Joe Gonzalez.

Auto technicians of the 21st Century must have highly-polished math and computer skills in addition to mechanical aptitude. This competition focuses on all those skill sets. 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 60 students who took the written exam. The two highest scoring students from the top 11 schools are those who qualified for the March 25th hands-on competition.  Photos from the event as well as additional information can be found here.

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