Auto Mechanic for the First Time at EuroSkills

Adam Stefánsson, a 24-year-old auto mechanic who works at Bifreiðaverkstæði Högna in Hafnarfjörður, was chosen last spring to go abroad and compete on behalf of Iceland. This summer, he underwent intensive training under the guidance of Sveinbjörn Björnsson, who was also a so-called “expert” at the competition, which is a type of judge. The preparation included, among other things, practicing diagnostics, calibrating an ADAS camera, working on electric cars, performing wheel alignments, and measuring and evaluating an engine.

The competition was very demanding and was divided into 15 tasks, with competitors having about 1 hour to solve each one. Adam did very well, especially considering that Iceland has not competed in this trade before, and finished in 12th place out of 18 participants with 678 points, just over 40 points from a podium finish, with a maximum possible score of 1000 points.

There were thirteen competitors from Iceland, and they, along with their support team and assistants, were invited to Bessastaðir the day after their return, where they received recognition from President Halla Tómasdóttir. Iceland did not come home empty-handed, as Gunnar Guðmundsson, competing in industrial control, won a bronze medal. Additionally, the competitors in cooking and electrical installations received a so-called medallion of excellence, which is awarded for achieving 700 points.