By Bill Pyles, Guest Bloggers | Caroline Slee-Poulos | www.LearningWithoutScars.com Most segments of the country are enjoying growth in the construction area, which translates to growth among construction equipment dealerships and other companies. A couple of challenges for the equipment dealers are the availability of new equipment and the severe shortage of equipment technicians. I can recall this economic cycle back to the early 1990s when most dealers began to realize the tech shortage was real. A heavy equipment technician was not a glamorous job, and more of the younger generation was moving to the new dot com boom. Around this time, major equipment OEMs, Cat, Deere, Komatsu, and other companies began to partner with local colleges to implement technician educational programs, offering a tech certificate or a two-year degree. Even the military changed their recruiting ads showing soldiers, sailors, and Marines staring at computer and radar screens, launching high-tech armament, no longer the recruits crawling through mud pits. READ FULL ARTICLE>>
