Two students from the Berks Career & Technology Center in Oley recently completed a training program at Fred Beans Ford of Boyertown in preparation for this year’s Ford AAA Student Auto Skills Competition. The students have been chosen to represent BCTC at Pennsylvania’s 2012 competition this Wednesday, April 25, in Warminster, Bucks County.

William “Cody” Shaner, a senior at Daniel Boone High School, and Dylan Bohn, a senior at Exeter High School, shadowed Fred Beans Ford master technicians Dale McConnell and John Powers for three days to gain experience in diagnostic and repair procedures. They had access to Ford Certified resources and were given the most current hands-on training with the area’s top experts in automotive repair.

The competition itself features a 2012 Ford Fusion with four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. Shaner and Bohn’s objective is to find, diagnose and repair each of several “bugs” that have been installed in the vehicle to create various problems.

The two-person team with the best combined time and score wins. The winning team then moves on to compete against all other state winning teams in an attempt to be named the two best students in the country.

“Students are always thrilled to be out in the field working with current automotive technicians in both a dealership setting and independent automotive shops,” said BCCT Automotive Technology instructor John Deatrich. “Many of the mentors who work with our students out in the field are former students of this school. In the case of Fred Beans Ford, not only are Dale McConnell and John Powers former automotive students; they actually competed in the Ford AAA contest when they were students.

“I’m glad they are willing to help. It’s a chance for them to pass on their own experiences to students who aspire to follow in their footsteps.”

While Cody and Dylan did not win on Wednesday, we remain proud of their efforts.