Skills USA Competition | Colorado Springs, Colorado

April 2022 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Skills USA Competition

In April of 2022, 4Rivers Equipment assisted in the 2022 Skills USA Competition with local high school and college diesel mechanic students. Students learned different skills about diesel mechanic technology at stations that were set up with various projects and tasks they needed to complete at varying levels of difficulty. Some tasks were more time-consuming than others while other tasks were just simply more difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, each student completed the tasks and learned valuable information to use in their future.

“Contestants cycle through fourteen stations testing and troubleshooting engines, electrical and electronics systems, power train systems including chassis, transmissions, and carriers. Contestants also demonstrate skills in hydraulic systems, vehicle inspections, fundamental failure analysis, brake systems, air-conditioning systems, and general shop skills. Contestants also perform a job interview and complete a written test,” according to Skills USA.

Contest Guidelines

1. Contestants may be assigned problems or projects requiring as little as 20 minutes to perform or as long as four hours.
2. The following general shop safety rules will be followed:
   • Safety glasses must be worn at all times when in the work area. If the contestant is taking a written test or is in a job interview, safety glasses can be removed.
   • No loose clothing is permitted.
   • Long hair must be tied behind the head or netted.
   • Gloves must not be worn during the operation of machinery, except while doing electric welding and oxyacetylene welding and cutting operations.
   • Any liquid or grease spilled must be cleaned up immediately and reported to the judge.
   • All injuries, no matter how slight, must be reported immediately to the judge.
3. In addition, contestants will be judged on general shop skills, problem-solving skills, shop safety, and a written test. Points allowed will be assigned by the technical committee based on the difficulty of the assigned task.

Some veteran 4Rivers service technicians attended as well to supervise each station and help the students where needed. They all had a great time learning from people in the industry and they can’t wait until they graduate and can start learning more hands-on experience. Take a look at all of the pictures from the competition below.

The high school division winner was Jayden Thorgmorton and the college division winner was Jaron Mihalko. Congratulations to both of them and everyone who participated.

Check out more about the Skills USA Diesel Equipment Technology Competition here: https://www.skillsusa-register.org/CRC/contentTECH/T/DieselEquipment.pdf

Take a look at the 4Rivers career paths we offer to students and others here: https://www.4riversequipment.com/company/careers/