It’s no secret among equipment dealers in North America that there is a shortage of well-trained, highly-skilled service technicians.
Any dealer reading this has almost certainly run into this problem when recruiting new talent to their team or replacing someone who has retired or moved on.
The Equipment Dealers Foundation (EDF), the philanthropic arm of the Equipment Dealers Association, is committed to ensuring that its dealer members have the resources they need to find and hire the best technicians for their operations.
There are some persistent, outdated perceptions about this industry, particularly when it comes to service technicians, and these misconceptions have resulted in fewer students pursuing careers as service technicians. In 2019, EDF set out to try to change this.
We interviewed several dealers and their technicians to better understand what led them to their profession, in order to utilize this information to attract more students to consider careers in the field. Additionally, we know that teachers and parents act as two of the biggest influences to younger students when they’re considering their choices for their careers and futures.
To accomplish this, EDF developed a nationwide educational campaign, Technicians for Tomorrow directed at parents, teachers, and students in late elementary, middle and early high school that live or teach near our member dealers.
The Campaign
In autumn 2019, EDF invested more than $30,000 into the Technicians for Tomorrow education and awareness campaign to increase recruitment of entry-level service technicians. After a successful test in Illinois in s in September of that year, the campaign and videos expanded nationwide in a campaign that ran from January through July, 2020.
In autumn 2019, EDF invested more than $30,000 into the Technicians for Tomorrow education and awareness campaign to increase recruitment of entry-level service technicians. After a successful test in Illinois in s in September of that year, the campaign and videos expanded nationwide in a campaign that ran from January through July, 2020.
Campaign Results
EDF’s investment in the campaign paid off, as illustrated by the following performance metrics. In just six months:
- More than 165,000 students, 40,000 teachers, and 40,000 parents nationwide have engaged with our videos. More than 165,000 students, 40,000 teachers, and 40,000 parents nationwide have engaged with our videos.
- Nearly 750,000 people that reside near an EDA Member Dealership have seen one or more of the campaign videos.
- More than 250,000 have watched a video through to completion (1-5min).
- Over 400 people have downloaded our resource kits and signed up to receive our newsletter for more information. In all, nearly 2 million people nationwide have seen one of EDF’s ads and/or videos; this includes 465,000 parents, 600,000 students, and 285,000 teachers. As encouraging as these results are, they’re just the beginning.
Next Steps
The challenges faced in America’s rural communities are three-fold: farmers relying on advanced technologies need help keeping their equipment operating at peak efficiency; dealers need skilled and reliable technicians to keep up with the demands of their customers; and young people entering the workforce are looking for career opportunities that are financially and personally rewarding. Working together, we can meet the needs of everyone while ensuring that a successful and prosperous future is enjoyed by all.
To support the program, visit EDA’s Technicians for Tomorrow website.
