SWCC automotive students place at 2024 Iowa auto skills contest

Southwestern Community College (SWCC) students Lucas Danley of Osceola and Cole Struble of New Virginia, seniors at Clarke Community Schools placed fourth in the hands-on portion of the 2024 DMACC/IADA High School Automotive Skills Contest on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. This competition recognizes some of the best high school auto technicians in the state.

These SWCC students qualified for the statewide competition following a written exam administered in October. The top scoring teams were then invited to Ankeny to participate in the hands-on competition. During the hands-on portion of the competition, autos were "bugged" with identical problems. The students diagnosed the issues during a 90-minute contest.

Struble and Danley are both taking classes at SWCC through the high school automotive repair technology Career Academy. These programs offer high school students with opportunities to take career and technical-related coursework at the college thanks to cooperative agreements between SWCC and their local high schools. Struble and Danley are in their second year of the Career Academy program.

Shown at right: Lucas Danley and Cole Struble