Sulphur Springs Independent School District (SSISD) collaborated with Toliver Ford for the 2023 North Texas Automobile Dealers Contest held at Texas Motor Speedway on December 1 and 2.
As part of the partnership, Toliver Ford offered valuable training opportunities to students enrolled in the SSHS Automotive Technology program who participated in the competition. The students were given hands-on experience and work-based learning opportunities to enhance their automotive skills.
Toliver Ford generously provided a 2023 Ford F-150 for the competition, which had been deliberately "bugged" by Ford service engineers. The SSHS automotive students successfully repaired the vehicle during the two-day contest, showcasing their technical proficiency.
Looking ahead, Sulphur Springs ISD expressed its commitment to sustaining the collaboration with Toliver Ford. The school plans to engage in the Ford ACE (Automotive Career Exploration) program, which mirrors the training modules offered to professional technicians by Ford. Successful completion of all ACE modules will position students at 70% progress toward becoming a Ford Master Service Technician.
The competition days were outlined as follows:
The Auto Tech Competition is held in two Phases.
Phase I: Workstations Challenge
- Contestants are tested on their knowledge of tools, measuring instruments, specific vehicle service information, and job interview skills at the Workstations.
Phase II: On-Vehicle Challenge
- Each team has an allotted amount of time to interpret, diagnose, and repair a number of pre-assigned problems on the vehicle, based on the repair order for that vehicle. Each correctly repaired “bug” is worth a set number of points depending on the level of difficulty.
