John Deere Construction & Forestry program receives AED Accreditation
Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) provided the following press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2018
CONTACT
Scott McPherson
AED Great Lakes Regional Manager
312-882-2473
AED Foundation Announces New and Re-Accreditations for Dakota County Technical College
Schaumburg, Illinois—The AED Foundation is pleased to announce two important milestones achieved this week by Dakota County Technical College (DCTC). A recognition ceremony, attended by local dealers and AED’s Great Lakes Regional Manager, was held May 8 at DCTC to honor the students and faculty for achieving AED Foundation Re-Accreditation of the Heavy Construction Equipment Technology A.A.S. degree program and AED Accreditation of the John Deere Construction & Forestry program.
The programs are led by Heavy Construction Equipment Technology Instructors Joel Fogarty and Jeff Borchardt.
“I’d like to thank The AED Foundation and our local equipment dealers for their tremendous support of our programs,” said Fogarty. “It’s a great partnership which allows us to provide hands-on training for the diesel equipment technicians of the future. And congrats to our Heavy Duty Construction folks. Our first and second year students were on hand to receive news of the AED Re-Accreditation for our general A.A.S. degree program.”
“In addition, our John Deere Construction & Forestry program was AED Accredited for the first time. Thank you to our hard-working faculty and inspiring students—and thank you to our partners at Ziegler CAT, RDO Equipment Co. and RMS for making this possible,” Fogarty added.
“AED is pleased DCTC has chosen to demonstrate its commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement through the process of accreditation,” wrote AED President and CEO Brian P. McGuire. “These accreditations signify to equipment industry stakeholders that your college has met rigorous industry-specific national construction equipment technical standards. It further signifies to current and prospective students that your programs provide the best in diesel-equipment technical education as defined by the industry it serves.”
For local dealers, supporting a technical college or high school program involves time, resources, and financial commitments. However, the result of having a well-qualified pool of graduating entry-level technicians each year more than justifies those commitments.
“It’s great that DCTC is proactively working to address the technician shortage the construction equipment industry is facing and is working with local dealers and The AED Foundation to get results,” said Pete Anderson, director of safety and technician development for Road Machinery & Supplies Co., who attended the ceremony. “The technician shortage is not going away, so it’s critical that we continue to work together to address this issue.”
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Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics
Wage
This career pays above the statewide median wage of $19.62.
Minnesota
Median: $27.13/hour
High: $30.51/hourSeven-county Minneapolis/St. Paul metro
Median: $28.44/hour
High: $32.79/hourOutlook
This career is currently in high demand.
Future Demand
This career is high growth compared to other careers. There will be a need for about 1,160 new Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics to meet market demand between 2014–2024. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.
— CareerWISE Minnesota
HCET AED Re-Accreditation recognition ceremony gallery
More about the HCET program…
Coursework in the Heavy Construction Equipment Technology program prepares you to succeed as a well-trained, mechanically minded, hard-working technician with heavy equipment dealers and contractors. Instruction involves classroom theory and live demonstrations in modern, well-equipped shops as well as hands-on repair of heavy equipment currently used in the industry. Making repairs on actual equipment is vital to skill development.
Heavy equipment dealers and earth-moving contractors are top employers. Jobs are also available with mining and logging companies. Most mechanics work in indoor shops, but experienced field service technicians travel to job sites to perform repairs.
Visit Heavy Construction Equipment Technology to learn more.
More about AED and The AED Foundation…
AED
Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) is an international trade association representing companies involved in the distribution, rental and support of equipment used in construction, mining, forestry, power generation, agriculture and industrial applications.
Our 460 distributor member companies account for more than $51 billion of annual sales revenue of construction equipment and related supplies and services in the U.S. and Canada. Our average distributor member achieves more than $111 million per year in revenues, employs 280 people, and has eight branch locations. Read more…
The AED Foundation
The AED Foundation is dedicated to developing and improving construction equipment industry partnerships that meet the mutual needs of local dealers, manufacturers and technical colleges. AED is proud to be affiliated with Dakota County Technical College through AED Foundation Accreditation, and wish ongoing success for the program.Established in 1919, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) is an international trade association based in Schaumburg, Illinois, representing more than 800 construction equipment distributors, manufacturers and industry-service firms nationwide.
AED members sell, service and rent equipment to such markets as heavy and light construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, aggregates, engines and industrial. Established in 1991 and directed by AED members, The AED Foundation addresses professional education and workforce development in the industry. This includes AED Accreditation of diesel-equipment technology college programs.
The AED Foundation mission
The AED Foundation enhances the success of member companies by encouraging continuous learning, by providing educational opportunities for today’s employees, and by improving the availability and quality of equipment industry employees in the future.
The AED Foundation enhances the success of member companies by encouraging continuous learning, by providing educational opportunities for today’s employees, and by improving the availability and quality of equipment industry employees in the future. Read more…
To learn more about the Heavy Construction Equipment Technology (HCET) program at DCTC, contact:
Joel Fogarty
HCET Faculty
651-423-8481
651-423-8337
To learn more about Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), contact:
Scott McPherson
AED Great Lakes Regional Manager
312-882-2473
