UAA Community and Technical College reports student excellence in action at the 2012 Alaska SkillsUSA Contest

From CTC Insider:

The UAA SkillsUSA Auto-Diesel Chapter hosted the 2012 Alaska SkillsUSA contest on March 21. The chapter, part of the UAA Community & Technical College's Transportation & Power Division, is the only chapter recognized in the state of Alaska and has hosted the Alaska SkillsUSA contest for the last two years. The event is a showcase for UAA students who are preparing for careers in the Alaska transportation industry.

Derek Cottle of Wasilla won first place, Hans Hjort of Anchorage placed second and Jessie Occhino of Anchorage placed third.

During the competition, the students worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in truck repair like electronics, preventative maintenance inspection, braking systems, diesel engines, general shop skills and drivetrains. All contests are run with the help of the industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry.

All three students are part of the Heavy Duty Transportation Equipment Program at UAA. "We are very proud of all the students' accomplishments," said John McCoy, a judge from sponsoring organization Carlile Transportation Systems Inc. "It is exciting to see Alaska students training here for careers in the diesel equipment technology industry. The competition is a testament to the true champions we are training and their individual dedication to excellence in their trade and their leadership skills."

The UAA chapter also hosted the SkillsUSA Job Interview Contest this year. Chapter Advisor Dennis Massingham was pleased with the results of the contest. He says, "We have some outstanding student success stories from that contest...[We were] well into the contest and, unexpectedly, the mock interviews became real interviews and the industry sponsors hired students and issued provisional job offers."

The chapter is busy preparing gold winner Derek Cottle for competition at the national SkillsUSA leadership and skills event in Kansas City in June.

SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. SkillsUSA has more than 300,000 students and instructors as members. For more information about the national organization, visit http://www.SkillsUSA.org.

For more information about the UAA chapter, visit http://life.uaa.alaska.edu/organization/auto_diesel.

Photo 1 Carlile Winners.JPG caption: SkillsUSA winners holding the Carlile Transportation Systems Kenworth trucks supplied by John McCoy.

Photo 2  Professor Massingham and Gold winner Derek Cottle.JPG caption: Chapter advisor, Dennis Massingham, with first place winner, Derek Cottle.