On the first Saturday of the month, Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School hosted the annual New Jersey SkillsUSA competition, partially sponsored by the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey (AASP/NJ). This event put local students’ skills to the test, requiring them to prove the adequacy in four different automotive repair tasks from demonstrating different welds to removing dents from a bumper.
“As older technicians age out of this field, it becomes increasingly important to start creating the future of our industry,” says AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell. “We are so appreciative of the companies who donate supplies and the local industry leaders who donate their time to act as judges. Shops always complain about the shortage of new, quality technicians. This is the answer to that.”
Twelve students (pictured below) in total from vocational schools as far south as Gloucester and as far north as Passaic participated in the event. The first place winner of this year’s competition will go on to the national SkillsUSA championship held in Louisville, KY. For more information on SkillsUSA and to find out how to get involved, visit nj-skillsusa.org.
For the latest on AASP/NJ’s flagship event, NORTHEAST® 2016, visit www.aaspnjnortheast.com, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show on Facebook, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show YouTube page (www.youtube.com/user/AASPNJNORTHEAST) or on Twitter @AASPNJNORTHEAST.