SIT Hosted Southland Regional World Skills in Automotive Technology Competition

The Southland Regional World Skills in Automotive Technology Competition for 2018 has been run across two days (Thursday 26 and Friday 27 April) in Invercargill.

Part of the greater World Skills Competition, regional events, national finals and then bi-annually, the international competition, are held to find the best of the best throughout over 80 countries around the world.  A variety of skills are tested, everything from hairdressing, game development, cookery, and the more traditional trades such as automotive technology.

The Southland region have historically offered competitors in skills such as automotive technology, plumbing, carpentry, joinery, engineering and bricklaying.  The skills put forward will depend on each region and where they see their strengths lying, but over 50 skills are involved in the international competition.

With eight regions across New Zealand, including the New Zealand Defence Force having involvement, those that meet set benchmarks will then go through to the national competition, this year being held in Hamilton at the Waikato Institute of Technology (WINTEC).  Otago/Southland are a combined region, however they do hold their own separate competitions in each area, with the best competitors heading through to the nationals.

2019 will bring the next international competition, held in Kaza, Russia and it is set to be a very competitive environment.

Glenys McKenzie, Team Leader for the Otago/Southland team explains that “one of the biggest challenges for our Southland competitors is generally their lack of competition experience.”  For apprentices in the automotive industry, the competition environment is chalk and cheese with their regular day at work.

Throughout the two-day automotive technology regional competition here in Southland, ten apprentices will be assessed by judges from both industry and the automotive staff at Southern Institute of Technology (SIT).  Judge, Brian Dunick from Southland Fuel and Turbo has been involved with the competition since its inception about a decade ago, and willingly gives his time to judge the young apprentices.

SIT’s Chief Executive Penny Simmonds and the SIT trades department are also incredibly supportive of the competition and the event is held at SIT’s automotive workshop every two years, as the facility is of exceptional standard and the support of the team essential to the running of each successful event.

Competitors conduct six different automotive fault finding and repair activities throughout the competition and it provides them with a great learning experience as well as a sense of achievement, no matter what their outcome.  Each competitor needs to be under 22 years of age as at 31 December 2018.

Michelle Findlayter, After Sales Group Manager at GWD Motor Group was attending to support their three apprentices from Alexandra, Invercargill and Gore.  “It’s a great opportunity for competitors to test their skills, fly the flag for their region and ‘cross fingers’, their country.  There is an exceptional calibre of competitors and it is great for the apprentices’ personal development, and of course looks good on the CV, setting them apart from the pack”.