On July 15th, 272 CTE instructors from across the nation came together in Minneapolis for the 2024 ASE Education Foundation Instructor Conference. Antonio Melendez, an automotive CTE Instructor at Westbury High School near Houston was one of them. With about 4,500 hour of training available from 57 companies and 44 sponsors, it’s the largest instructor training event in the industry. 

In this episode of the Team ASE podcast, we talk with Tony about the personal and professional significance of attending the 2024 ASE Education Foundation Instructor Conference. In upcoming podcasts, we’ll talk about the kind of technical training available in the 2024 conference and the value it provides to the instructors and those who support their efforts to educate the next generation of automotive professionals.     

Hear all about it as we talk with Tony about:

·         Tony’s background and how he came to be a CTE instructor in Texas.

·         How his jobs introduced him to mentoring and apprenticeships.

·         His ten years at Westbury High School.

·         What value he sees in attending the Instructor Conference.

·         How the training and other instructors he finds at the conference helps him be a better teacher.

·         Getting new learning strategies from the experience.

·         Why the outstanding technical training is important in preparing for new technology.

·         How the training helps Tony hone his teaching skills and techniques to better engage his students.

·         Why the knowledge he gains is transferrable to the classroom.

·         The networking available at the conference and how it helps new instructors adapt and find answers to common problems.

·         The support available to instructors through the ASE Education Foundation.

·         The challenges of presenting EV training in the classroom.

For more information on ASE and automotive careers, visit the website at www.ase.com