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American Morning

Competition Manager Discusses AAA-Ford Student Auto Skills Competition

Aired June 18, 2001 - 10:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Some high school students from around the country are all revved up today, and they're competing in the national finals of the AAA-Ford Student Auto Skills Competition.

Our Patty Davis joins us now live from that competition, in Washington -- Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, that competition has just ended here on Washington's National Mall. In fact, the judges are trying to determine who exactly won. It's not only exactly how they did fixing these cars, which were all deliberately sabotaged in identical ways, but these students also had to take a written exam. That happened yesterday. So it's a combination of the points from these two things.

I'm joined by James Dunst, who is a national contest manager here, for this contest.

This big secret up until now has been exactly what the sabotage has been. What did you do to the cars?

JAMES DUNST, NATIONAL COMPETITION MANAGER: What we've done is we placed identical problems in all of the vehicles, and we put problems in the ignition system, the computer system -- we do a lot of that because all of these cars are computer controlled -- and the electrical system.

DAVIS: What are the prizes? The first place winners are going to get what?

DUNST: The total prize package for this event here in Washington is more than $450,000, and that included tools and scholarships and many other items.

DAVIS: But the first place winners, I understand, get $2,500 scholarships plus other opportunities at scholarships.

DUNST: That is correct, and their total would be somewhere around $40,000 to $50,000 in prizes.

DAVIS: I understand that what's behind this is a shortage of auto technicians -- or mechanics, as we know them -- technicians, as they're called now. What is a shortage? DUNST: This is an enormous problem. Eighty percent of the repair facilities in this country are short of technicians right now. Half of the technicians that are working are over the age of 45 and will be retiring in the next 10 to 15 years, with the baby boomers, and there's only two to three entering the field for every 10 that are leaving, so you can imagine the opportunities that are going to be there in the future.

DAVIS: Thank you, James Dunn, national contest manager for this student competition here.

Of course, the companies sponsoring this are hoping that many of these students will become future auto technicians, auto mechanics, out of this. The winner is to be announced shortly.

Back to you -- Leon.

HARRIS: Thanks much, Patty Davis.

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