Associations Rise to the Challenge

Many national ag and manufacturing industry associations have stepped up their game to help the industry on the workforce front. On the global front, the International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA) plays a role in advancing the work of those developing, sharing information on and implementing innovations into daily practice to advance farming.

In collecting a representative sampling of resources and key programs related to ag careers, Farm Equipment reached out to a wide range of associations and organizations to get a status report on ways they — in concert with equipment dealers, manufacturers and educators — are meeting the challenge of seeking, finding, preparing and partnering students and employers.

Driving Engagement Among Industry Partners

Sean Fitzgerrel, Vice President of the AED Foundation, who oversees operations and specializes in nationwide workforce development programs, addressed the most important component needed to drive progress in the industry’s workforce programs: engagement.

Engagement is his top suggestion. “It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for precision ag tech or a standard tech,” he says. “The No. 1 focus area is engagement with the programs. We help coach the industry on how to become engaged, but also coach the education side of how to best interact with the industry.”

To build that bridge and connect the dots, the AED Foundation established a project aimed at creating a strong and robust pipeline of skilled workers within the next 4 years.

As Fitzgerrel and the AED team see it, there are 4 steps dealers and OEM leaders must optimize the benefits the workforce initiatives create.

Advisory board involvement
On-site student co-op for work-based learning
Equipment donation to schools
Hiring qualified students prepared for workforce

Fitzgerrel says that advisory board participation is fundamental to meeting the goals of all involved — dealers, equipment manufacturers and aspiring ag employees.

“We talk not only about the workforce shortage, but also the skills gap the industry faces, especially on the precision side,” Fitzgerrel says. “With new technologies constantly coming out, technicians must adapt and change. What worked for yesterday’s technician is not going to work for tomorrow’s. To do this, it takes the industry being engaged in these programs and asking what an entry level precision tech needs to know.

He notes that without input and feedback between representatives from industry and education, little change can be expected, hence the Advisory Board recommendation.

Bringing a student out for a co-op or internship and giving them an opportunity for valuable work-based learning is the next step. It offers multiple benefits, to the dealer, manufacturer as well as the student and school. Additional funds from the government for to schools for work-based learning.

Making the CASE 4 Learning

CASE — Curriculum for Ag Science Education — is an initiative of the National Assn. of Ag Educators (NAAE) and also tied into FFA. The CASE4 Learning program was initially funded by the National Science Foundation, which allowed for the pilot program to be developed. Under the direction of CASE 4 Learning Director Carl Aakre, the group came to AED with the update that they had proved the model worked and asked for support. AED made an investment in them 3 years ago which was the initial round of investment, involving the build-out of regional training centers. Now, they’re working on developing more regional training centers at colleges, trying to create bigger opportunities for staff instructors and expanded training.

CASE 4 Learning developed a curriculum based on AED standards and established the Ag Equipment Maintenance & Technology program (AEMT) and the Ag Power Technology Program. The AEMT coursework is designed to offer instructional units on ag equipment and precision ag and partnering in the field. CASE Institute events are offered to provide teachers with content and skills needed to use the CASE curricula in their classroom.

www.case4learning.org/curriculum/agricultural-power-and-technology-apt/

Once dealers and the industry at large is that once they see the value of this, the next logical step is to donate a piece of equipment — for dealers, for example, to work with their OEM to get a piece of equipment out to that school as well.

“The last step ideally is happening between the second and third steps, which is hiring those students,” says Fitzgerrel. “We don’t expect a dealer to go out and start giving away equipment without seeing the value of this program. It’s got to be bringing value to both sides.”

Connecting the Dots Key to Ag Career Development

“The role of education is to provide a well-rounded entry-level technician, then let them specialize,” says Fitzgerrel. “Our primary goal is to provide what the candidate needs to be an entry-level technician and then they can specialize from there.” He used the analogy of the medical profession, where the fundamental education is provided but for those who want to work in a specific area are required to gain additional knowledge for that specialty.

“You can’t be a precision ag tech until you’ve learned the basics of what is required of a regular tech. Identifying those next steps are key so they have the basic foundation, from which they can focus on precision ag, GPS and GIS systems, etc.” Fitzgerrel reinforces the value of the trained and well-prepared techs who are ready to get into the nitty gritty of specific equipment once on the job. These programs open up the possibilities for all types of equipment, applications and specialization within manufacturers and dealers, he contends.

Dealer Challenge: How to Get Involved

Fitzgerrel says dealers are often uncertain how to start a program. While a key challenge, he says it can be easily overcome when the right combination of information and communication come together.

“We encourage dealers to approach CASE with the mindset that this (CASE 4 Learning) is an organization dealers believe in since the accrediting body of the industry has put their stamp of approval on this curriculum. They may select a particular high school and then they work with CASE 4 Learning to figure out what it would take to implement the curriculum into their program. With that, too, comes a the list of equipment that you need for the program.”

“The other challenge to the industry is to set biases aside and not to think you must have something perfect. Perfect just doesn’t exist right now,” he adds. “Think outside the box and think about the transferable skills and go from there.”