Last week, three of our automotive seniors represented Pine Tree High School at the North Texas Automobile Dealers Auto Tech Competition at Texas Motor Speedway—competing against more than 40 other schools across North Texas.
Hayden Ritchson, Eyjah Escovedo, and Aldo Solis made up Pine Tree’s inaugural Auto Tech Team, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and professionalism. Over the past several weeks, they trained alongside technicians at Toyota of Longview, gaining hands-on dealership experience in preparation for the event. Zale Vaughn (right), Toyota of Longview's Fixed Operations Director, attended the competition to mentor students. The Pine Tree Automotive Program is taught by Bryan Brown (left).
This competition highlights an industry-wide need. According to NTXAD, there’s currently a nationwide shortage of 76,000 trained automotive technicians, with many openings right here in North Texas. To address this, NTXAD partners with educators, government agencies, and dealerships to train, certify, and employ students interested in entering the automotive field.
The Auto Tech Competition gives high school seniors a high-profile stage to show their skills, race against the clock, and compete for scholarships and industry prizes. Each team consists of three students, with the top two scorers from each school advancing to the On-Vehicle phase. Leading up to the competition, teams are paired with a local franchised dealership that mentors and trains them—making this one of the most authentic learning experiences available to high school automotive students.
We’re incredibly proud of our students for representing Pine Tree in this prestigious, industry-driven event.