SAN BERNARDINO, CA — San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS), in partnership with the San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) Applied Technology Department, hosted the 2025 Automotive Pre-Apprenticeship Student Competition on Nov. 7 at SBVC. Summit High School in the Fontana Unified School District was named the overall winner.
Thirty-five students from seven San Bernardino County high schools, all enrolled in two-year transportation career technical education pathways, gathered to showcase their skills in the automotive industry. All participants are registered pre-apprentices with the state of California through SBCSS, underscoring the event’s alignment with high-quality workforce training systems.
During the competition student technicians rotated through five skill-based contest stations that tested their real-world automotive abilities, including vehicle inspections, precision measurements, circuit building, and tire balancing. Each station was judged by automotive professionals, including mentors from BMW, Volkswagen of San Bernardino, Toyota of San Bernardino and San Bernardino County Fleet.
“This initiative represents the best of what happens when education, industry and community partners come together to create opportunities that truly prepare students for their futures,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “By aligning programs like this with our cradle to career vision, we’re helping students build practical skills and clear pathways into rewarding careers.”
This event marked the first time San Bernardino Valley College hosted a student automotive competition, utilizing its state-of-the-art Applied Technology Building to create an immersive, real-world learning experience.
An industry networking session, where students connected with employers, college faculty and apprenticeship leaders, was also included. The session provided insight into postsecondary programs and local career pathways in the automotive field.
Gabriela Vasquez, a student competitor from Redlands High School, showed great enthusiasm for developing her hands-on skills. “This competition has been really exciting and it’s something I can put on my resume for my future automotive career,” said Vasquez.
At the awards and closing ceremony, students were recognized for both individual excellence and team performance.
Award categories including the top performing school and top three scorers are as follows:
- Overall School Winner: Summit High School
- First Place: Everett Spaid, Yucaipa High School
- Second Place: Zane Herron, Summit High School
- Third Place: Michael Roldan, Summit High School
Participating districts in this year’s competition included Fontana Unified School District, Redlands Unified School District, San Bernardino City Unified School District, Upland Unified School District, and Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.
