ELLICOTTVILLE — Two students from Cattaraugus-Little Valley who attend the Ellicottville Career and Technical Education Center recently competed at the annual Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association (NFADA) “Troubleshooting” competition at Erie Community College.
The Automobile Technology, Tyler Musall and Dustin Bowers-Seekins, are seniors who competed against students from 10 other high schools and tech centers from around the region. They participated in both a vehicle troubleshooting portion and at various work stations for the opportunity to attend the National Auto Tech Competition in New York City in the spring as well as earn tuition scholarship money from various sponsors.
Timothy Fisher, auto technology instructor at Ellicottville’s career tech center, said although Musall and Bowers-Seekins did not place in the top three, each received a $250 scholarship to use at a college of their choice, as did all participants in the competition. Participants also got tools and different items from the sponsors.
Ford Motor Company was the vehicle sponsor, providing six 2017 Ford Explorers for the students to use for competition. Other sponsors included local new car dealerships, several automotive vendors and car manufacturers.
At the competition, each vehicle was bugged with 10 or more problems students had to find and repair. Fisher said both Musall and Bowers-Seekins received numerous compliments from the judges for their impressive skills and knowledge.
Fisher said Emerling Ford of Springville provided his students a week of focused training at their dealership with one of their technicians. He said Emerling has been an active partner with the Ellicottville center’s Automotive Technology class for several years.
According to Fisher, the additional training his students received at Emerling went above and beyond what they learn at the center and prepared them for the rigorous challenge ahead. He said with a technician working with them for a whole week, the kids got to practice on a brand new 2017 Ford Explorer XLT that had been bugged.
“In the past, Team Chevy in Olean has supported us very well and supplied us with GM vehicles,” he said. “This particular time, Emerling supplied the vehicle, which they have also done in the past. The sponsoring dealerships are all members of the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association.”
This competition promotes the schools and career tech centers, what the auto tech students are learning and the talents they have developed. Fisher said the dealerships are hiring the students he trains for their shops so, in many cases, they are investing in future technicians for themselves.
Musall said he gained a lot of advanced knowledge from working with the technician at Emerling, and it was quite a challenge to work on a vehicle with so many bugs set up in it.
“Before I went there (Emerling), I had no clue how their specific scanners worked for each manufacturer until I got to navigate the computer for trouble shooting,” he said.
Musall is currently working in a shop where he is getting more experience in the automotive industry. He chose a career in the automotive industry because he likes cars and enjoys working on electrical and mechanical things with his hands.
College is on the horizon for Musall; he’s been accepted to the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima, Ohio, and will begin there in August. His parents are Jim and Jennifer Musall of Cattaraugus.
According to Bowers-Seekins, the training at Emerling was a lot of fun and it was great to work with an experienced technician. He said they were set up in a back shop where they worked all day on a bugged truck, and had to figure out the problems by navigating through a computer.
He chose the automotive industry as his career choice largely due to his father’s influence.
“My father has always worked on vehicles and he’s done it for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I thought it would be something nice to get into.”
Bowers-Seekins has applied to several different colleges and technical schools, but he has not heard back from any yet. His parents are Dennis Seekins and Rachael Bowers of Cattaraugus.
According to Fisher, many of his students get certified in his class and go straight to a dealership to work. Because the Automotive Technology program at the center is a nationally recognized certified program called National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF), they can get ASE certification.
Fisher said his students also participate in internships and prepare a professional portfolio that is required for graduation. He said each CTE program has articulation agreements with a number of colleges and universities across the United States. Successful students in these programs may earn college and high school Regents credits at the same time, saving them time and money.
“We (career tech faculty) try to make a difference, and I know we do because we see so much success with these kids,” he said. “They learn a skill and go a long ways. It changes their life and gives them a path.”
For information about the career and technical education programs offered by the Ellicottville, Olean and Belmont centers, visit online at caboces.org. To find out more about NFADA and the Auto Tech program, visit nfada.com.