April 16, 2007 - AAA and Ford are giving high school students the keys to start their careers in the automotive repair industry as they team up to test students’ automotive knowledge and technical skills.

On April 19, twenty juniors and seniors from technology schools across Oklahoma will meet in Okmulgee to challenge each other in the annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition. Each two-student team will strive to correctly diagnose and repair intentionally installed faults (“bugs”) on identical 2007 Ford Motor Company vehicles. The winning team will need to repair every bug and then drive the vehicle across the finish line. In addition to receiving scholarships and other valuable prizes, the winners will represent the state in the National hands-on Finals at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan on June 26.

Every student qualified for the competition by completing online exams in February. This was the first year the qualifying exam was conducted online, which allowed more students to compete than in previous years. The new format emulated professional technical certification and training programs such as those of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and automotive manufacturers, who are using Internet-based distance learning and assessment programs in lieu of off-site training and testing.

“As the technology used in vehicles continues to evolve and increase in complexity, young people who want to excel as automotive technicians need the best training possible,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the need for qualified technicians will grow by between nine and 17 percent through the year 2014. As a result of participation in the contest, many Auto Skills participants move on each year to promising careers in the automotive industry thanks to the scholarships they’ve won.

“The Ford/AAA Auto Skills competition provides students with opportunities to obtain the advanced training required to work on all kinds of vehicles, including those with the latest technology,” said Mai.

Both the national and the state-wide competitions are organized with the support of Ford personnel, local automotive instructors, and AAA’s Approved Auto Repair program, a public service AAA provides to identify quality repair facilities throughout Oklahoma and the country.