Next Generation of Auto Industry Talent Compete at 20th Annual Technology Automotive Competition
In the lead up to the Canadian International Auto Show, students from GTA high schools participate in annual automotive technology competition
TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, automotive technology students competed in the 20th annual Toronto Automotive Technology Competition. The competition was presented by Centennial College and the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA), in partnership with Auto Career Start, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre just days before the kick off of the Canadian International Auto Show.
"It is important for us to showcase that there are a variety of long-term career opportunities available in the auto sector across Canada – that's part of the reason why we launched Auto Career Start last June," said Astrid Mauger, Marketing Specialist for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA). "Whether you are looking for a career as a technician, in sales, finance, IT, or marketing, auto dealerships are a great place to look for stable, well-paying jobs," said Mauger.
Findings of a national Abacus Data survey of 2,000 Millennials conducted from 2017 to 2018 indicate that this age group (18 to 37 years) have largely not considered jobs at auto dealerships. "We are working to connect with students across Canada, and at this competition, we connected with some of Ontario's incoming talent to make sure they are educated on the myriad of career options available to them," said Mauger.
The competition tests analytical skills and knowledge in electrical, suspension and brakes, engine mechanical, waveform analysis and most impressively, a virtual Engine Management Simulator. The competing students will have 120 minutes to go through five working stations to repair purposefully faulty operating systems.
The judges who score the contest are Centennial College Staff & Faculty in the School of Transportation and will be responsible for managing the competition area. They will be basing their decisions on the student's ability to find and fix each fault set, reviewing the Repair Order (RO) and the identification of the Condition-Cause-Correction (3-Cs) in order to evaluate each team's performance.
"Watching young high-school students methodically probe the high-tech components of today's vehicles to solve a technical fault is a fascinating spectator sport," said Ann Buller, president and CEO of Centennial College. "These students' skillful attention to detail will make any parent, teacher or future employer proud."
The 2017-2018 Abacus survey also told us that men are more likely to say they would consider working at an automobile dealership than women (31% vs 19%). "We hope that this competition presents a space for young women to feel included and empowered to take part in this industry," said Susan Gubasta, President of TADA.
In Ontario and across the country, Auto Career Start hopes to help actively engage the incoming workforce to ensure the auto industry thrives in Canada. "There are positions waiting to be filled by this next generation of talent, and Auto Career Start helps connect job seekers to available careers in the automotive industry in their area," said Mauger.
The winning team, representing St. Brother André Catholic High School, is Vincent Servinis and Samuel Luff from Markham, ON. Vincent and Samuel will be representing their school and the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) at the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City. This prestigious event will be held at the New York International Auto Show on Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24, 2019. Second place went to Ethan Chong and Alessandro Albi, also from St. Brother André Catholic High School in Markham, ON, and third place went to Konrad Lisowski and Pawel Nikolaou from Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School, in Mississauga, ON.
B-roll from the day's events is available from the following links (different options available in each link):
Auto Career Start
The Auto Career Start program 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. The program features the online platform Cars and Jobs which 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 Auto Career Start
Barbara Barrett, 343-998-8906 (cell), [email protected]
Share this article