Central Florida teens are testing the skills of auto technicians, an industry looking to boost its workforce

A deep interest in luxury sports cars and the mechanisms that make them roar led Dylan Serrano to pursue a career as an automotive technician.

“I think I fell in love with solving problems,” he said. “It’s just a bunch of problems with the car and I just love solving them and figuring things out.”

Serrano, a 19-year-old student at Osceola Technical College, was one of 20 teenagers to put their auto technician skills to the test this week at the Central Florida International Auto Show.

As part of the annual student competition, students identified and fixed mechanical problems in about a dozen 2025 model year vehicles, including the Ford Bronco and Dodge Charger.

It was a chance for students to earn scholarship money and for industry to find workers and highlight the national shortage of automotive technicians.

“With the technology competition, we’re identifying talent because we have a shortage of more than 70,000 technicians in our country,” said Evelyn Cardenas, director of the auto dealership.

Students participating in Thursday’s event at the Orange County Convention Center were the top performers in a two-hour written exam designed to broaden the field of potential technicians.

During the time trial, students moved between 21 stations, testing their knowledge of each vehicle, performing diagnostic checks, extracting data from vehicles and troubleshooting electrical systems.

Serrano said the competition for him is mostly about making the perfect career.

“When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was just find the most random car and make it look like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” he said.

Serrano and other competitors could become major players in the future who will desperately need their services.

According to a recent report from the nonprofit TechForce Foundation, the number of new technicians graduating from automotive postsecondary programs in the U.S. will drop nearly 12% in 2021, even as demand for such workers increases. professional techniques.

Many dealers pay to train interested students, who can earn well once they are hired.

“If they are willing to come and work and learn a trade, we will be happy to teach. We have technicians as young as 22 who are already making $100,000 with their master’s certifications and getting an even better start in their careers,” said Harvey Mondragon, technician trainer for Morgan Automotive Group, which sponsored the event.

The automotive company is the largest privately held dealership group in Florida and the second largest in the nation, according to Chief Operating Officer Craig Smith.

When Mondragon talks to students, he often tells them about his own career, which he started as an auto mechanic in Hillsborough County.

“I grew up in Plant City, and Plant City High School has a curriculum,” he said. “I came from there, went straight to Toyota Tampa Bay 16 years ago and started as a quick oil changer. He rose to the position of group leader, shop foreman, became a service manager, and then was promoted to a corporate officer.”

Smith said dealerships are willing to help pay for tuition and other fees to encourage students to become technicians.

“Most dealerships will pay for the child’s tuition or a tool allowance because that’s something that worries a lot of kids because they have to buy their own tools to work on the cars,” he said. “Kids who study at the highest level and do well will have no tuition costs.”

Competition is also a way to boost pride in an area that is sometimes forgotten.

“Automotive technician is an underrated job,” Smith said. “It creates a culture of appreciation for the trade, technicians who want to develop it, and helps people get interested in it.”