Markham students place 12th at the prestigious National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City
Two Ontario grade 12 students earned the opportunity to compete internationally after they won the Toronto Automotive Technology Competition last February.
NEW YORK, April 25, 2019 /CNW/ - Yesterday, Vincent Servinis and Samuel Luff, both grade 12 students from St. Brother André Catholic School in Markham, Ontario, represented the Trillium Automotive Dealers Association (TADA) at the National Automotive Technology Competition (NATC), placing 12th.
Held during the New York International Auto Show, the NATC is considered the most important competition of its kind in North America, featuring the best high school automotive education students from across the United States and Canada. At the event, $3 million USD in prizes and scholarships are awarded to participating students and schools annually.
"I was excited but also very nervous to represent Canada in New York City," said Luff. "As expected, the competition was quite fierce, testing our automotive knowledge, skill, and our ability to perform the tasks as quickly as possible. I'm very proud of how my teammate and I finished – it was an amazing experience."
To be able to compete in New York, Servinis and Luff had to win the Toronto Automotive Technology Competition (TATC) last February against the backdrop of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The TATC was presented by Centennial College and TADA, in partnership with the Auto Career Start Program. There, the St. Brother André two-person team earned a better overall score than the other 24 teams present.
"Over the course of this two-day competition in New York, we had to diagnose, repair and correct vehicles that were purposely outfitted with faults and operating problems, all while racing against the clock alongside the U.S.'s best automotive students," said Servinis. "Without a doubt, being a part of this amazing experience has confirmed my desire to become an automotive technician."
Both Servinis and Luff said they encourage younger high school students to get involved in automotive competitions since it could lead to discovering a passion for a career in which labour is in high demand.
"We're very proud to be supporting this competition," said TADA President Susan Gubasta. "Not only does it present an incredible experience for Ontario students in terms of skills development and problem solving, but it is also aligned with a deep need for more qualified labour in auto dealerships across Canada."
Both CADA and TADA have made it a priority to create awareness around the variety of long-term career possibilities available in the auto sector across Canada. Through their Auto Career Start program – under the umbrella of the popular Cars and Jobs platform – both organizations are actively connecting with students and job seekers to showcase auto dealership career opportunities related to sales, finance, IT, marketing, administration, repair and parts.
"Vincent and Samuel's accomplishments in New York this past week demonstrate the many opportunities that exist when being at the top of your game in the automotive field," said Astrid Mauger, Marketing Specialist for the CADA. "Auto dealership jobs are plentiful, rewarding and interesting, and we look forward to continuing to spread this message amongst driven and talented students such as Vincent and Samuel."
Auto Career Start
The Auto Career Start program, under the umbrella of the Cars and Jobs platform, aims to promote the many rewarding and well-paid career options available in automobile dealerships all over the country on top of providing valuable training and job search advice. Cars and Jobs connects job seekers to vacancies in new vehicle dealerships across Canada and is Canada's only platform for auto dealership jobs.
Trillium Automobile Dealers Association
Since 1908, the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association has been the voice of Ontario's new car dealers. Our 1,100-member dealers directly employ over 45,000 people and generate $37 billion in retail sales annually.
Centennial College
Centennial College is Ontario's first public college, established in 1966, primarily serving the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area with five campuses. It has a record of exemplary teaching, innovative programming and extensive partnership building. Centennial offers 250 diploma, certificate and degree programs in business, media, arts, community and consumer services, engineering technology, health care and transportation. These programs promote experiential learning with laboratory instruction, co-op education and industry placements. Centennial enrols more than 24,000 full-time students and 19,000 part-time learners annually.
SOURCE Cars and Jobs
Barbara Barrett, 343-998-8906 (cell), [email protected]
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