Opportunities for Female Students in September

Second Automotive Aftermarket Women's Career Day at THE MONSTER MILE!
Building on the success of last year's Women's Automotive Career Day, the Car Care Council Women's Board Industry Relations Committee is pleased to announce its second event! To showcase the career opportunities within the automotive aftermarket, the WB will be visiting the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. on Friday, Sept. 21, 2007.

Participants will hear guest speakers from all facets of the automotive aftermarket and racing industry. Lunch is included and the day will be topped off with an on-site garage tour! The event is open to female students ages 18-34.

To register a student or for more information, contact Kimberlee Berry at 240-333-1026 or e-mail kimberlee.berry@aftermarket.org. A full agenda and more information will be available soon at http://www.magnetmail1.net/ls.cfm?r=31826202&sid=2551150&m=338156&u=AutoAfterM&s=http://women.carcare.org.

7101 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1300, Bethesda, MD, 20814

AYES Conference Opening Session Inspires Instructors

Samuel Brenton, Kansas State University student, opened the AYES Conference with the Lee Greenwood hit "Proud to Be an American", set to video. He recently graduated with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Vocal Performance. After the Pledge of Allegiance, Brenton spoke of the impact an automotive teacher had on his life. Brenton had been home-schooled for most of his life, but at one point began to go to public school. His automotive teacher, Mr. Shoemaker, took the time to get to know him and he inspired Brenton to greatness in everything he did. He "helped me understant that manufacturing was my niche and encouraged me to get involved in SkilsUSA. I have been to the National SkillsUSA conference 5 times now and it is the highlight of each year. " From Mr. Shoemaker, I learned to never stop showing my passion. I urge you (meaning the instructors in attendance) to never stop showing us your passion. You have made an amazine impact on the lives of many. Your service leads to our success.

Tim Lawrence, of Skills USA had this to contribute, "You have students that you lift up and challenge and inspire every day. You truly inspire, you truly are the greatest people in this country that inspire students and move them along in life." At that point, a representative from Snap-on Tools presented a check for $83,000 to Skills USA for the student travel fund, to help develop student leadership across the country.

2007 AYES Training Conference

The 2007 AYES Training Conference is upon us. Tomorrow's Technician editor, Ed Sunkin, and I will be headed north this afternoon to join the rest of the Conference attendees at the beautiful Dearborn Hyatt Regency. The Conference began yesterday with a computer lab from 5 p.m. to 10 pm, as well as an Instructor Troubleshooting Competition from 7 pm to 9 pm. AYES provides a full week of opportunity for instructors to update their education, as well as network with each other and other automotive industry personnel. Today, from 8 a.m. to 5.15 p.m., they have two separate training sessions. One is Automotive Technology Technical Training and will include instruction on Brakes, Engine Performance, Electrical/Electronics, and Steering/Suspension. At the same time, there will be a full day of Collision Repair and Refinish training, led by PPG, DuPont, Akzo Nobel, Sherwin Williams, and BASF. AYES is serious about educating the educator!

This evening we'll attend the Manufacturer Welcome Dinner, sponsored by General Motors Corporation, followed by a few hours of hospitality. Last year, the dinner featured several interesting speakers from the major supporters of AYES. The hospitality provided us with a great opportunity to mingle with the instructors and school administrators. Generally, discussion centered around the kind of information you want us to provide with Tomorrow's Technician. We received a lot of great feedback and Ed and I are looking forward to another productive evening in Dearborn tonight.

Tomorrow and Thursday the training will continue. Wednesday's focus will be on AYES Model Training, and Thursday features Enrichment Training. I admire the AYES model because (from what I have seen) it provides a strong platform upon which each school can build a robust automotive program, and ultimately bring well-trained repair technicians into the automotive repair world. It seems as though they provide a lot of materials and support for both the instructor and school administrators.

The Rump Guard

Not exciting, but a great idea. I saw this on Toolmonger.com and had to share it. My apologies for not coming up with something original today. But I saw this, loved it, and loved the price. (Had to edit to remove bad language, this is a PG-rated blog spot, and I think Toolmonger.com can get a little more colorful in their commentary.) But, this looks perfect for new technicians and mature technicians, anyone who uses tools professionally or a DIYer.

Despite owning tool belts and tool aprons, for some reason my tools always seem to end up in my back pocket, inevitably poking holes through my jeans and into my bum. Duluth’s Rump Guard looks like a possible solution. Think of it as a bullet-proof pocket protector for your a__: it’s made from denim and Kevlar – a 73% cotton / 21% polyester / 6% Kevlar blend.
Its snap loop connects to your belt, allowing you to position its handy pocket protector for maximum comfort. It also more than doubles the capacity of your jeans pocket, adding numerous additional compartments for tools and gear, plus a dangling hook to carry tape.
Plus, its street pricing of $13 is a lot cheaper than torn-up jeans — or worse yet, torn up you.
Kevlar Denim Rump Guard [Duluth Trading]
PS: Does anyone else feel like Duluth Trading is like the J. Peterman Company of tools, complete with their witty descriptions and hand-drawn illustration?