As part of its upcoming instructor training conference in July, the ASE Education Foundation will host a special Nitro-X demonstration event for conference attendees.

Nitro-X is a youth summer camp that was pioneered by the Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence to inspire students and engage the industry in the process of giving middle school and early high school students hands-on experiences in transportation career pathways. Using radio- controlled cars that are constructed over the course of the week and raced on the last day, students learn how vehicles work, build their confidence with technical skills, work in teams to develop life and employability skills and gain exposure to the transportation industry by going on tours of local businesses.

At the special Nitro-X networking event on Wednesday evening during the conference, participants will enjoy food and drink, set up and race the radio-controlled cars and see the different elements of the summer camp concept firsthand. Staffers from the Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence will also provide hands-on demonstrations and learning stations for conference attendees to learn more about how Nitro-X excites and attracts younger students to automotive training programs.

“Our goal for the Nitro-X social event is to show how the program works to those attending the instructor training conference and have some fun with the instructors by actually racing the cars,” said Mike Coley, president of the ASE Education Foundation. “Instructors can take home the Nitro-X concept and launch summer camps and programs in their communities to inform more middle school students about education and career opportunities in our industry. This is another way we can reduce the technician shortage.”

The ASE Instructor Training Conference, scheduled for July 15-18 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the largest national training event in the country, offering more than 20 hours of technical update training and providing separate tracks for auto, medium/heavy truck and collision repair instructors.

For more information about the ASE Instructor Training Conference and to register, click here. About the ASE Education Foundation The ASE Education Foundation provides proven solutions to the technician shortage, working with over 2,300 automotive technology training programs and over 100,000 students nationally to provide the transportation industry a skilled entry level workforce through standards and credentials for institutions and individuals. The Foundation also offers career development and workplace exposure by creating relationships and partnerships with employers. For more information, visit www.ASEeducationFoundation.org.