WIX Filters Names Owensboro Community & Technical College 2014 Technical ‘School Of The Year’ – UnderhoodService

WIX Filters Names Owensboro Community & Technical College 2014 Technical ‘School Of The Year’

Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) in Owensboro, Ky., was named the 2014 Technical School of the Year by Tomorrow’s Tech magazine and WIX Filters during a surprise ceremony recently for 100 students and instructors of the college’s Automotive Technology program.

OCTC is the seventh recipient of the annual program to find and name the best technician training school in the country. WIX and O’Reilly Auto Parts are title sponsors of the national award in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Tech, a Babcox Media publication dedicated to automotive students.

“Owensboro Community & Technical College is a great example of an educational institution that is focusing on the future of an entire industry,” said Mike Harvey, brand manager for WIX Filters. “Specializing in automotive technology, diesel and alternate fuels, OCTC is exactly what we envisioned when we started the School of the Year competition – a highly skilled technical program dedicated to training the next generation of technicians.”

As the 2014 School of the Year, Owensboro Community & Technical College’s automotive program received:

• A 2,500 donation to the school’s Automotive Technology program from WIX Filters.
• Uniform for every student from Red Kap, a manufacturer and distributor of comfortable, durable work-related clothing and outerwear.
• Merchandise from O’Reilly and WIX Filters.
• Travel for the school’s instructor and a guest to Las Vegas to attend Babcox Media’s recognition dinner at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX).

“We pride ourselves on building an automotive program that provides our students with the skills and advanced training necessary for careers in an industry that is constantly evolving,” said Lewis Nall, automotive and diesel program coordinator at OCTC. “Being named School of the Year is an incredible honor and we’re thrilled to share this with our students and our school.”

The School of the Year program is open to all high schools and post-secondary schools that have a subscription to Tomorrow’s Tech magazine. Of the 151 entries for this year’s contest, 46 were from different high schools, technical schools and colleges in four geographic regions of the United States. Twenty schools were asked to submit a video highlighting their technical programs. Judges selected four finalists, or one from each region, from the video entries.

“Winning this national honor is quite an achievement,” said Dean Martin, publisher of Tomorrow’s Tech. “We continue to see remarkable improvements in automotive education programs throughout the country, and Owensboro is no exception. It is our goal, along with the contest’s sponsors, to recognize the skills and knowledge future automotive service technicians are taking with them into the field.”

This year’s three runners-up are: Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, Marlborough, Mass.; Iredell-Statesville Schools Automotive Technology Center, Troutman, N.C.; and Lakes Region Community College, Laconia, N.H. Each runner-up will receive a professional automotive tool set and $250 gift card from O’Reilly Auto Parts, as well as work shirts from Red Kap.

Owensboro Community & Technical College joins past School of the Year recipients Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio (2013); Clover Park Technical College, Lakewood, Wash. (2012); Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Colo. (2011); Caddo Career & Technology Center, Shreveport, La. (2010); Ohio Technical College, Cleveland, Ohio (2009); and Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, Ill. (2008).

You May Also Like

Auto Care Association Launches REPAIR Act Video

The goal is to emphasize the need for federal REPAIR Act legislation, according to the Auto Care Association.

The Auto Care Association launched a new Right to Repair video campaign, featuring independent repair shop owners from across the United States share their stories and shed light on the increased challenges independent repair shops are facing with accessing repair data to service their customers’ vehicles. 

The video campaign emphasizes the need for the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act (“REPAIR” Act), which ensures vehicle owners and repair shops have access to tools and data needed to keep cars and trucks on the road safer, longer.

ASE Education Foundation, Goodguys Continue Partnership

Goodguys is one of many industry relationships the foundation has developed to help solve the technician shortage.

Valvoline Celebrates Female Service Center Employees

As women make up more than half of all drivers in the United States, Valvoline is taking steps to increase their vehicle care confidence.

UniClutch Launches Clutch System in the United States

From Australian manufacturer Clutch Industries, UniClutch is a clutch system that delivers uncompromised performance.

Automotive Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2024 Inductees

Six honorees whose efforts helped shape the automotive and mobility marketplace will be recognized.

Other Posts

Castrol Turns 125, Debuts New Market Strategy

As part of the new strategy, Castrol will explore opportunities in battery thermal management, digital and service solutions and data center immersion cooling.

Valvoline Global to Debut Ad During Super Bowl Pre-Game

The company will showcase its Restore & Protect motor oil in a 30-second ad before Super Bowl LVIII.

Litens Adds Distribution Footprint via Acquisition

With the acquisition, Litens is set to improve its overall customer experience through enhanced communication capabilities and increased flexibility that enables Litens to further meet diverse customer demands with ease.

Advance Auto Parts, Baker Mayfield Partner for Super Bowl

If there is a false start penalty during Sunday’s Big Game in Las Vegas, fans can win free DieHard batteries for life.