How to organize your
own competition
Th ere are a number of challenges that organizations
may face when it comes to organizing their
own technician skills competition.
“Identifying a venue, getting sponsorships to
cover expenses, deciding on the number of workstations
and getting companies and technicians
to participate are all challenges,” Karim confi rms.
“Every state and company competition is a little
diff erent depending on what works for them,” she
adds.
Th ere are a number of ways to conduct a skills
competition, and it’s up to the organization to take
the steps to create and run the event.
“It can be as simple or elaborate as you choose,
as your resources make available,” TMC’S
Braswell adds.
When starting the process, fi rst review aspects
of your maintenance operation and determine
if there are any pain points or areas that could
use improvement.
“Generally speaking, take a look at what are
some of the major concerns in your operation?
16 Fleet Maintenance | November/December 2017
Where do you spend your maintenance dollars?,”
Braswell says. “Th ose are the areas that you probably
want to improve your performance in, and
those are ripe targets for (hands-on) stations for
your own technicians.”
Examples of diff erent hands-on skill challenges
include: electrical, brakes, HVAC, engine, steering,
preventative maintenance inspection (PMI),
drivetrain and service information.
A pool of volunteers and dedicated employees
can aid in the success of the
event as well. Th ese individuals
help to gather information
to organize the event, coordinate
with vendors and sponsors,
establish testing criteria
and stations and help to judge
the competition itself, to name
a few.
For continued advancement
to the national level,
Braswell says it’s important
to consider the format of
the TMCSuperTech National
Technician Skills Competitions
when creating your own organization’s
competition.
One suggestion he makes is
to encourage ASE certifi cation
for technicians.
“If you can be an ASE certifi
ed master technician, you’re
probably a long way toward
being able to compete at a high
level,” Braswell says. “Just by
having that level of knowledge,
it puts you a cut above your
peers that haven’t chosen to
go that route.”
In order to address these
challenges, there are a number
of resources available to interested
organizations.
For more
information
For assistance with organizing
a skills competition for technicians
in your shop, TMC off ers
a free downloadable educational
digital booklet titled
How to Conduct a Professional
Technician Skills Competition,
with suggestions and detailed
VehicleServicePros.com/10121809
Recommendations
for establishing a
successful competition
The TMC educational handbook How to Conduct
a Professional Technician Skills Competition
recommends five key items to consider when
establishing a technician skills competition.
FIND VOLUNTEERS
“Volunteer support is key to establishing a successful
technician skills competition,” according
to the TMC educational handbook. “It is best to
establish a core group of committed volunteers
in an officer or oversight committee format.”
BUILD PARTNERSHIPS
“It is a good idea to get participation from a
diverse group of manufacturers and vendors,
trade press, trade schools and educators as
possible,” the educational handbook states.
Establishing these relationships allows organizations
interested in conducting a skills competition
the means to utilize the resources within their
network. For instance, establishing a relationship
with a local college could allow for a shop to hold
the competition at that educational facility.
OFFER SPONSORSHIPS
Partnerships with vendors are key,
including sponsorships from suppliers
and other organizations.
“Sponsorship opportunities can cover food
functions, setup costs, entertainment, etc.
Typical sponsorship recognition opportunities
can include: corporate logos on event banners,
signage, competition apparel (T-shirts, hats), official
programs, etc,” according to the handbook.
MITIGATE COSTS
One cost savings to consider is holding a
technician skills competition in conjunction
with another company event. For example, a
number of state trucking associations conduct
a technician skills competition during their organization’s
annual truck driving competitions.
ESTABLISH RULES UP FRONT
It’s important to establish the rules of the
event prior to holding a skills competition.
“Be sure the technician competitors are aware
of the rules before the event starts,” according
to the handbook. “This will help solve potential
problems before they can begin. Have them
sign a competition agreement and release.”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For assistance with organizing your
own skills competition, TMC offers a
free educational digital booklet with
detailed instructions on how to go
about organizing a skills competition.
This downloadable PDF, How to
Conduct a Professional Technician
Skills Competition, can be found at:
VehicleServicePros.com/20982947
instructions. (See the Additional Resources box
at top of page for more information.)
Interested organizations are also encouraged
to reach out to the TMC directly, where they will
be put in contact with someone as a resource to
provide more information.
Braswell says there are a number of volunteers
who previously served on the PTDC — including
Karim — who will assist state trucking associations
and companies with organizing their own
skills competitions.
/10121809
/20982947
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