Centerville, Ohio – Students from the Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC) Auto Collision program competed at regional SkillsUSA Contest held at the Voss Collision Center on Saturday, February 25.  MVCTC students competed against other career centers in the area to qualify for the Ohio SkillsUSA Competitions in Columbus, Ohio, on April 11-12, 2017.  The State Contest, located at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, will bring together thousands of SkillsUSA students from all over the state to compete in everything from Advertising Design to Welding.

MVCTC Auto Collision senior Albert Baker from Milton-Union, won first place at the regional competition and Dylan Sorrell, a senior from West Carrollton, placed third.  Both students qualified to compete at the Ohio SkillsUSA Contest.

MVCTC Auto Collision senior, Montana Houshel from Troy High School, was presented the Pat Kowalski Memorial Award. The Pat Kowalski Memorial Award recognizes an Ohio SkillsUSA SW Region Collision or Refinishing student who best exhibits a high level of integrity, dependability, initiative, positive attitude and service to others. Pat Kowalski dedicated himself to helping others improve, and students were his passion. His memory is honored through the presentation of this annual award.  Montana was also recently tapped for induction in the National Technical Honor Society at MVCTC.

According to the SkillsUSA website, the Automotive Refinishing Technology Contest is described as, “Contestant will demonstrate the ability to perform jobs and skills based on the task list outlined by the National Institute for Automotive Excellence (ASE) and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). The competition includes a series of workstations to assess skills in the following areas: surface preparation, spray gun operation, paint mixing, matching and applying, solving paint applications problems, determining finish defects, causes and cures and utilizing safety precautions. The competitor will also complete an interview, a written estimate and an ASE written exam. The overall appearance of the finished products, speed and proper safety practices will be judged.”

The SkillsUSA Ohio championship consists of 81 Technical and Leadership contests. Participants are challenged to complete a project in their area of technical training within a specified time while being scored by a panel of judges from business, industry, and education. Top state qualifiers will earn a chance to compete in the SkillsUSA championships in Louisville, KY, in June for national honors.

For more information about MVCTC, please visit www.mvctc.com.

For over 45-years, MVCTC has been providing career technical education for 27 partner school districts encompassing five counties in Southwest Ohio.  MVCTC is dedicated to providing in-demand workforce training for youth, adults, and organizations in the Miami Valley. 

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