Photo credit: Cypress College
A Winning Partnership!
A dual enrollment program between Cypress College and Western High School proved to be a winning partnership earlier this spring at the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association (OCADA) 26th annual Automotive Technology Competition, held March 23 at Hyundai Motor America.
The team of five students from Western high school take automotive courses at Cypress College. The competition prizes included more than $11,000 in Snap-On Tools, $30,000 in scholarships, and a 2018 Hyundai that was won by the Western high school students for their automotive shop, as a result of their first-place team score.
Fourteen teams from throughout the Orange County region participated in the competition. Students were tested on theory and completed diagnostics, electrical repairs, and other tasks. A STEM element asked competitors to construct and repair electrical circuits.
“Automotive retail sales and service is a $12 billion industry in Orange County,” said OCADA executive director John Sackrison in a Cypress College news release. “These bright students have a tremendous career opportunity, and we are excited to help share the wide range of options and growth for automotive technicians in the high-tech automotive profession.”
Jaime Gonzalez, ATL Deputy Sector Navigator in the Orange County Region, said the OCADA competition is an important part of the relationship between high schools, community colleges, and the automotive industry.
“The OCADA competition empowers our future workforce to exhibit their acquired technical skills in a competitive, professional setting,” Gonzalez said.
Cypress College automotive instructor Russell Bacarella taught the Western students in their Automotive Fundamentals class, a year prior, and was proud of their success in the competition.
“They’re competing with kids who have had as much as three, four years of experience,” Bacarella said. “It makes us feel like we are doing a pretty good job here, and hitting on the necessities.”
