May 30, 2012—Chief Automotive Technologies on Wednesday announced it will sponsor the Collision Repair Technology Championship at the 48th annual 2012 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference for the 26th consecutive year.

Through the sponsorship, Chief said it will supply most of the structural repair equipment that students use during the competition, including a frame rack, computerized measuring system and damage simulators. Chief also developed the structural repair written test that will be administered during the contest.

Ken Soupene, an independent instructor for Chief University, will supervise the Collision Repair Technology area and oversee testing throughout the event, which is scheduled for June 23-27 in Kansas City, Mo.                                                                                                                                 

“SkillsUSA is helping to properly train future collision repair technicians in modern structural damage analysis and repair techniques to prepare them for rewarding careers in the industry,” said Richard Perry, global repair product manager for Chief. “In effect, SkillsUSA is building better technicians for body shops, insurance companies and others in the industry. Chief is proud to be a part of the process.”

Chief said more than 15,000 students, teachers and business partners are expected to participate in the 2012 SkillsUSA Conference. More than 5,600 technical education students will compete in 94 different trade, technical and leadership fields. The SkillsUSA Championships are scheduled to be held June 26 in the H. Roe Bartle Hall and Municipal Auditorium.

For more information, visit skillsusa.org.