GNYADA March 2015 Newsletter

Student Show Their Skills at NY Auto Tech Competition 13

The New York Automotive Technology Competition rep- resents a unique coalition of franchised new car dealers, auto manufacturers, and educators who work together to ensure students will be ready for careers in the auto industry. The competition is designed to test the skills of students. For 24 years, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association has sponsored the New York Automotive Technology Competitions to educate the next generation of automotive technicians and embrace new technologies in today’s vehicles.

Dealers who participated by helping prepare the teams for the NY Finals:

GNYADA President Mark Schienberg hands over the big check to NY Auto Tech winners Nicholas Maurer and Richard Wierzbicki- McMickle from Orange-Ulster BOCES.

Buzz Chew Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc. Healey Chevrolet Huntington Jeep Lexus of Queens Lexus of Massapequa Koeppel Mazda Manfredi Auto Mall Palisades Mazda Penn Toyota Smithtown Toyota Teddy Nissan Westchester Subaru n n n n n n n n n n n n

Of the 35 teams, 12 qualified to move on to the next stage of the competition, the New York Finals, which was held on February 10 at the CAET. At the New York Finals, the 12 teams competed in a hands-on challenge that tested their ability to diagnose and repair predetermined “bugs” placed in 2015 model year vehicles. The students also had to troubleshoot electrical, steering, brake, and engine component faults. To test a team’s job readiness skills, each team member was quizzed at a sim- ulated job interview workstation. Nicholas Maurer and Richard Wierzbicki-McMickle from Orange-Ulster BOCES won the competition and will rep- resent GNYADA at the National Finals during the New York International Auto Show in April, where $3 million in prizes and scholarships are up for grabs. GNYADA’s team will go head-to-head with top teams from across the United States and Canada. Each team that participated in the NY Regionals received a scholarship to attend a post-secondary automotive train- ing program and free tools courtesy of Snap-on tools. The first place team’s school also received a Toyota training vehicle from the Toyota T-Ten program and Suffolk County Community College.

GNYADA hosts the competition as a means to challenge New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland County schools to hold the curriculum of automotive education to more rigorous standards, ensuring that stu- dents master the skills they need to succeed. In January, 35 teams, from high schools in the greater New York area, descended on the Center for Automotive Education & Technology to test their basic automotive skills.

GNYADA congratulates all the winners and wishes them the best of luck moving forward.

Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association • www.gnyada.com

The Newsletter • March 2015

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