Equipment Dealers Say Certified Technician Shortage Is Getting Worse

Caterpillar donates $300,000 donation to training in trade schools

Association of Equipment Dealers Foundation Chairman Jeffrey Scott, of Intermountain Bobcat in Salt Lake, City, Utah, speaks at ConExpo/ConAGG about the foundation's educational efforts. Photo: Jeff Yoders/ENR

Equipment dealers predict gaps in filling up to 73,500 heavy equipment technician positions needed in the next five years, says a survey of 131 firms by the Association of Equipment Dealers and The College of William and Mary.

The survey results, released last year online to AED's 800 members in North America, were shared more broadly on March 11 at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show in Las Vegas.

The survey also found that 62% of dealer respondents said they don't believe colleges and trade schools understand the specific needs of their businesses. Additionally, 90% of respondents reported having a job opening with a starting wage above the national average.

"The shortage has been something that's been a challenge to our business for some time now," says Jeffrey Scot, AED Foundation chairman and owner of Intermountain Bobcat in Salt Lake City.

AED also announced a $300,000 donation from the Caterpillar Foundation to create educational initiatives to produce more certified equipment technicians.

ENR Midwest Editor and Associate Technology Editor Jeff Yoders has been writing about design and construction innovations for 16 years. He is a two-time Jesse H. Neal award winner and multiple ASBPE winner for his tech coverage. Jeff previously launched Building Design + Construction's building information modeling blog and wrote a geographic information systems column at CE News. He also wrote about materials prices, construction procurement and estimation for MetalMiner.com. He lives in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, where the pace of innovation never leaves him without a story to chase.

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60% of workers are exposed to heights greater than 5 ft daily, and workers' compensation from injury is more than $7B - it's time for construction leaders to take measures to reduce risk and create a safer work environment. We'll explore how technology can improve construction site safety and help prevent accidents before they happen.