Two seniors from Wallenpaupack Area High School in Hawley, Pennsylvania, finished in first place at the 2018 National Automotive Technology Competition. The students, Evan Sennefelder and Andrew Stuart, who can now call themselves “America’s Top Technicians,” were sponsored by the Pennsylvania Automotive Association and beat out 28 other teams from across the country to win the national competition.
“These are the technicians who will service and repair your future autonomous car,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which organizes and sponsors the annual event. “The young men and women in this competition have shown that they have an extraordinary ability to combine highly technical knowhow with problem solving abilities. We need these highly motivated and talented young people in dealerships across the country to make sure vehicle owners have access to technicians with the best computer and technical skills.”
The National Automotive Technology Competition, which is the auto industry’s largest school-to-work initiative, pits the nation’s best high school automotive technology students against each other for the title. The National Competition culminates with a three-hour, under-the-hood component where students diagnose and repair automobiles that are rigged with a variety of malfunctions. From 1993 to today, the National Automotive Technology Competition has brought the nation’s best high school automotive technicians to test their skills, measure their knowledge and challenge their ability to diagnose and repair vehicles.
The National Finals, held in New York in conjunction with the New York International Automobile Show, are possible thanks to the generous contributions of more than 100 industry sponsors including automakers, industry organizations, OEM suppliers, educational institutions and dealer associations from across the country. This year, prizes and scholarships totaling more than $3 million were awarded to the participants. Snap-on, the competition’s official tool supplier, provided tool sets to all competitors.
“High-quality vocational training is a critical part of our Nation’s education needs and this competition is designed to encourage more rigorous standards for vocational education to ensure students master the skills they need to succeed as lifelong learners, workers and citizens,” said Schienberg.
First Place
Students:
Evan Sennefelder and Andrew Stuart
School:
Wallenpaupack Area High School, Hawley, Pennsylvania
Instructor:
Mark Watson
Association:
Pennsylvania Automotive Association
For more information and other winners, click here.
