The North Idaho College Collision Repair Technology program placed two students at the SkillsUSA competition April 12-13. Calvin DeHaas, Collision Repair Technology Instructor, took six of his students to Boise for the SkillsUSA competition.
Out of the six students, Ryan Hanley, 24, St. Maries, Collision Repair Technology, took home a silver medal and Gavin Krieg, 27, Post Falls, Collision Repair Technology, won a bronze medal.
“It was a fun, entertaining and good experience competing in the SkillsUSA competition,” Hanley said. “It was probably an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life.” Each of the six students from NIC, along with students from five other programs across the region, competed in one-hour timed events.
“I am very very proud of the way we competed this year,” DeHaas said. “The North Idaho College Collision Repair program is the only one-year program in the state. We are the underdogs every year because, generally speaking, it is their sophomores against our freshmen.”
The Collision Repair competition was broken down into two categories: Collision Repair and Automotive Refinishing. Those competing in the collision repair side were Dean Kemmer, Gavin Krieg and Ryan Hanley. Those competing in the Automotive Refinishing side were, Felicia Williams, Jason Hill and D.J. Hanley.
The students were required to demonstrate their ability to perform jobs and skills based on the task list outlined by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation.
The competition included a series of workstations that assessed skills in the following areas: metal straightening, welding, plastic repair, and structural analysis. An interview was another part of the competition. Judging was based on the overall appearance of the finished product, speed and proper safety practices.
“There was a lot of bonding time and it was nice to get to know everyone a little bit better,” Krieg said. “The competition was fun. It was really stressful, but fun. I’m pretty competitive, so having something that was competitive in a career that I’m pursuing made it fun.”
All of the students had to complete the 50 question test, turn in a current resume cover letter and were given a live interview. All these events were timed. Lythia Body and Paint of Boise hosted the event.
“This is a trade that I’ve been a part of for 30 years, and I love the hands-on aspect of this trade, and I love the process of refinishing the vehicle,” DeHaas said. “I have always enjoyed the repair process and this year’s class has been exceptional. It’s one of the top five classes I’ve had in the past 15 years.”
