San Juan College has participated and hosted regional SkillsUSA competitions for years in different programs such as cosmetology and welding.
In the Fall competition, San Juan College focused on automotive skills related to the A-Series of the National Institute of American Service Excellence (ASE) test certifications.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. A nonprofit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high-school and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. Part of the SkillsUSA framework includes personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. ASE is an independent non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by testing and certifying automotive professionals.
The students cycled through the eight A-Series ASE skills and answered written questions for each station. Two more stations, Safety and Electric Vehicle/Hybrid Vehicle were also added to this competition. Skills were tested in areas including Engine Repair, Automatic Transmission/Transaxle, Manual Drive Train & Axles, Suspension & Steering, Brakes, Electrical/Electronic Systems, Heating & Air Conditioning, Engine Performance, Electric Vehicle/Hybrid Vehicle and Safety in the Work Place. The students had eight minutes at each station to complete the tasks.
More than 50 contestants had to demonstrate their ability to perform jobs or skills selected from the standards outlined in the ASE certifications as determined by the SkillsUSA Championships technical committee. Students from San Juan College, Technical College of the Rockies, Brighton High School, Emery High School, Farmington CATE Center, Carlsbad High School, Gadsden High School, Artesia High School and the Career Enrichment Center participated in the fall competition.
