Awarded a $10,000 scholarship in state competition
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – While others may be working on their tans this summer, Safford Automotive Program senior Hugh Larson will be taking in the sights and sounds of Georgia as he competes in the automotive SkillsUSA National Competition in Atlanta on June 24-28.
“It will be a good trip,” Larson said. “I get to pick a buddy from class to take with me and I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
Larson earned his spot in the national championship after besting all other competitors from throughout Arizona; first by finishing in the top 10 in regionals in Tucson and then by taking the state title out of 70 regional leaders.
According to SkillsUSA, “The SkillsUSA Championships is the national culmination of a year-long process that begins in local SkillsUSA chapters across the country. Local winners advance to district or regional competitions, testing their skills against competitors from other schools. Those winners advance to state competitions each spring, and state gold medalists earn the right to compete nationally at the SkillsUSA Championships each June. Along with gold, silver, and bronze medallions, competitors may earn scholarships, tools of the trade, and even job offers right off the competition floor.”
The event is held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, which covers more than 1.79 million square feet of floor space – the equivalent of 31 football fields.
“I tell the students you gotta be lucky and good all on the same day to be able to go to nationals because one little thing can kind of keep you out of it,” Safford Automotive Program instructor Ed Taylor said. “Hugh did a great job. It just worked out really well for him.”
Taylor is in his 17th year running the Safford Automotive Program at Safford High School. The three-year program offers beginning, intermediate, and advanced instruction and provides hands-on learning through several automotive facets and with the latest in technology.
“My goal is to teach them how to do the job and then maybe even place them in the industry if that’s where they want to go or one of the many tech schools, including EAC if that’s what they want to do,” Taylor said.
He handpicked Larson for the automotive path after noticing how well Hugh performed on an automotive section electronic board during a church camp before starting high school.
“He just zipped right through them for an eighth grader,” Taylor said.
Nationally all types of vocational training are needed and industry leaders believe an upcoming shortage of technicians is pending as those currently doing the job are retiring without sufficient replacements.
“We have millions of jobs that are available that aren’t getting filled,” Taylor said. He added that the push away from vocational training to universities has created a service shortage that will only worsen in the next few years as more older technicians retire.
“In my opinion, the college push has been for so long that we’ve lost what we used to call the industrial arts, which is now called Voc-Ed or Career and Technical Arts,” Taylor said. “I think it’s very important that the students have the opportunities to do the hands-on work.”
Not all of Taylor’s advanced auto students go into the automotive field, but many do and after 17 years Taylor has numerous former students in various automotive fields locally that he comes across.
Larson competed in regionals and the top-10 in each region were entered into the state competition. Against 70 competitors from other high school auto programs, Larson came out on top and earned a $10,000 scholarship to Universal Technical Institute and punched his ticket to the national competition in Atlanta, Georgia in June.
The competition is a combination of written tests and actual hands-on lab station work involving various issues, including brakes, engine diagnostics, or electrical.
The group will be in Georgia for a week, and with only a few days of competition, Larson is looking to pack in some sightseeing.
“It’ll be a fun trip,” he said.
Larson said he plans to work for the rest of his summer and then leave in the fall on a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon his return, Larson plans on enrolling in a college or trade school
“It’s a great program,” Larson said of Safford’s auto shop. “I highly recommend it to everyone. I’ve learned a lot. It’s a great opportunity. I’m already reaping the benefits from the experience and the certification I have from this program and I’m not even done with it yet and it’s already benefitting me in real-world experience. So, I highly recommend Mr. Taylor and I highly recommend Safford High School Automotive.”
Taylor thanked the GIFT program and the tax dollars for helping fund the auto shop, as well as industry partners locally and statewide for their participation in getting students to see different opportunities.
“I enjoy the partnerships that we have in town and, basically, in the whole state,” Taylor said. “I’m grateful for all that.”
