Congratulations to CB South's Conor McGlinchey (pictured at left with his instructor, Mr. Rob Schwartz at center), who along with his partner Patrick Gallelli (pictured at right) of Council Rock South won first place in the Philadelphia Top Tech Challenge Competition! The two MBIT students received more than $285,000 in scholarships and tools for their 1st place win!When asked about the competition, Conor said, “This is a dream come true!” Patrick added, “I have been wanting to win this competition for my family, Mr. Schwarz, and myself.” The duo also thanked Keystone Volvo and the Auto Dealerships Association of Greater Philadelphia for the opportunity to compete in the 30th Tech Competition. They especially would like to thank Middle Bucks for giving them the skill set required to be successful in the automotive industry!
Auto technicians of the 21st Century must have highly-polished math and computer skills in addition to mechanical aptitude. This competition focuses on all those skill sets. The first part of the regional competition involved a 110-question written exam in December. The exam covered electric vehicle safety and the eight National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) areas of the automobile, which are Engine Repair, Engine Performance, Electrical/Electronic Systems, Brakes, Heating and Air Conditioning, Suspension and Steering, Manual Drive Train and Axles and Automatic Transmissions. There were approximately 80 students who took the written exam. The two highest-scoring students from the top 12 schools are those who qualified for the March 3rd hands-on competition.
Check out this Philadelphia Auto Show video featuring the competition: https://youtu.be/fDn1pw5BsfQ
