Addressing the Technician Shortage in Equipment Distribution
Komatsu has contributed $250,000 to AED Foundation’s Vision 2025 initiative. The objective of the initiative is to address the shortage of qualified technicians entering the equipment distribution sector.
“We recognize the imperative to build a talent pipeline for our distributors and the heavy equipment industry at large,” said Komatsu’s Rod Bull, Executive Vice President, North America Region. “Komatsu supports Vision 2025 and its focus on helping schools promote careers in the technical field to young people, who often aren’t aware of the great family-supporting jobs available in this industry. We’re excited to do our part to share this story of opportunity to join an industry that keeps our world growing and sustains our way of life.”
AED Foundation’s Research Findings
Research by the AED Foundation has found that the industry needs to fill an anticipated 73,500 heavy equipment technician positions over the next five years. The technician shortage is compounded by a gap in required skills and available training.
Vision 2025 aims to address these issues by growing the foundation’s impact. This includes at least 120 accredited college programs (currently 71) and 200 recognized high school programs (currently 36). If the project is successful, it has the potential to create a talent pipeline that includes an additional 10,000 skilled technicians entering the workforce, 5,000 AED Foundation-certified technicians, and 500 AED Foundation-certified managers.