Month: August 2020

The Steps Your College Can Take to Earn AEDF Accreditation

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The AED Foundation (AEDF) is committed to accrediting 100 college programs across North America by 2025. With this goal in mind, the Foundation has been working with schools to become AEDF accredited.  

Accreditation is highly sought after by colleges as it displays their commitment to providing students with an industry-recognized education. Accredited programs are required to be up-to-date with the Foundation’s standards to validate the program’s quality. For this reason, many students have chosen to attend AEDF accredited programs, as accreditation is an indicator of top-tier industry education. By choosing to become accredited, colleges show their concern for holding their programs to a higher standard and attract students looking to fast-track their careers within the industry.  

In addition to the benefits for schools and students, accredited college programs help create a steady pipeline of qualified industry technicians. With the current industry workforce shortage, competent technicians can be hard to come by. Introducing more accredited colleges will produce an increase in AEDF certified technicians, who bring in $250,000 to a dealership each year.  

With all the advantages of being an AEDF accredited college, many schools are interested in becoming accredited but may be wondering about the process. The steps to becoming an accredited college include:  

  • Establish a dealer task force to work with the school. All accredited colleges must work closely with a dealer in the area.  
  • Perform gap analysis and develop an action plan. This includes noting where your program may need to be altered to fit accreditation requirements and develop a solution to modify it accordingly.  
  • Acquire equipment for the program. All AEDF accredited programs must have access to adequate equipment to ensure students can learn effectively.  
  • Develop a curriculum that meets AEDF standards. The AED Foundation holds it’s accredited programs to a high standard to ensure students receive a high-quality education. Programs must meet these standards to become accredited.  
  • Host Evaluation Team Leader (ETL) visit. The Foundation’s ETLs are hardworking volunteers who are experts at reviewing prospective programs to meet AEDF’s standards. This final step in the process confirms that a program is fit for accreditation.  

With the participation of schools and dealers, the Foundation is accrediting college programs as fast as possible. For more information, download The AED Foundation Accreditation Summary or fill out an application.  

Are You Looking For an AEDF Accredited College Program Near You?

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As The AED Foundation (AEDF) continues its mission to accredit 100 college programs by 2025, AEDF accredited colleges are appearing across North America. The program, which produces top-quality candidates upon graduation, offers the industry-recognized title of Certified Technician.

Certified Technicians are a great asset to a dealership, and are proven to each bring in $250,000 annually. That being said, AEDF Certified Technicians are highly sought after in the workforce and have a leg up when compared to other entry-level candidates. This is primarily due to the extensive training that students must complete within an accredited program. With all the benefits of becoming a Certified Technician, it’s easy to understand why interested high school students may be looking for an AEDF accredited program to attend.

While the Foundation continues to put forth effort towards achieving the Vision 2025 goal, here are some of the actions we are talking to accredit colleges as efficiently as possible:

The Foundation is working to recruit additional Evaluation Team Leaders (ETLs) to allow for a faster accreditation and recognition process. More ETLs on our team means that they can head out to more schools across the country.

The AED Foundation is also collaborating with schools to ensure they acquire the equipment and material resources needed to become an accredited program. Accredited programs meet rigorous, industry-recognized standards, and they must obtain all required resources before they can become accredited.

Finally, accredited college programs must have a curriculum that is on par with AEDF’s standards. The Foundation requires that accredited programs cover the six core competencies, creating well-rounded entry-level technicians upon graduation. The AED Foundation is actively working with schools to create programs that meet the accreditation standards to provide more students with access to quality education.

AEDF has made it easy to discover the accredited colleges nearest you with a downloadable list available here. This list is continuously updated to provide prospective students with their options for attending an accredited program.

With Vision 2025 in mind, The AED Foundation strives to bring accredited programs to students across North America.

How AEDF Accredited College Programs Can Benefit Your Dealership

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The AED Foundation’s (AEDF) accreditation program offers students the opportunity to become AEDF Certified Technicians upon graduation, an industry-recognized credential that is just the start of a promising career.

By achieving 100 accredited college programs by 2025, students who pass the certification ultimately benefit AED’s dealer members. Through the Foundation’s efforts to accredit college programs, effectively helping to reduce the workforce shortage, dealers will find that they have more candidates to choose from who have received extensive training. As the Foundation continues to work to broaden its student-reach by additional accredited programs, dealers in North America are met with the opportunity to hire a top-tier applicant to be a part of their organization.

The AEDF certification directly communicates the intensive education and training that the technician has been through to complete their schooling. Accredited programs are required to be re-evaluated every five years to ensure they continue to meet the Foundation’s rigorous standards. Upon completion, certified technicians have the experience and expertise needed to begin their industry careers.

Hiring AEDF Certified Technicians shows your commitment to your customers and the quality of work and effectiveness that your dealership displays. Customers can recognize the technicians’ hard-earned title and feel assured that their equipment is receiving unmatched service quality. One AEDF Certified Technician can bring in $250,000 to the dealership. This produces long-term financial excess for dealers, making certifying a technician a worthy investment to dealers.

Through accredited college programs, The AED Foundation is working to build a brighter future for industry dealers and technicians.

Discover the Benefits of The AED Foundation’s Accredited College Programs

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August has arrived, which means The AED Foundation is shifting topics for its brand awareness campaign to highlight its accredited college programs. Like July, which focused on AEDF’s recognized high school programs, the Foundation plans to take August to showcase all of the benefits that accredited college programs provide. Look for blog posts, social media posts and press releases that discuss everything you need to know about AEDF accredited programs all month long!  

The Foundation’s accredited college programs offer students quality education that has been thoroughly assessed and adapted to meet AEDF’s industry-recognized standards. The AED Foundation has developed this program and accredited schools across the country to ensure students have exceptional training and education. Upon completion, students receive a certificate and the title of an AEDF Certified Technician, an essential indicator for dealers that the technician has completed training that aligns with industry standards and expectations. Students in AEDF’s recognized high school programs are required to go through both classroom and hands-on training and complete the AEDF Certified Technician Test at the end of the course to prove their retention and understanding of their training.  

As part of Vision 2025, the Foundation aims to accredit 100 college programs across North America by 2025. This milestone will create more opportunities for students interested in entering the equipment industry, in turn, developing an increase in qualified and AEDF Certified Technicians within the workforce. Certified Technicians’ esteemed education and training add value to the dealership they are hired at and provide the technician with an impressive credential and refined technical skills upon graduation.  

Not only does a student enrolled in an accredited program avoid the steep costs of tuition from the typical four-year college route, but if they have graduated from an AEDF recognized high school program, they have the opportunity to apply for an AEDF scholarship. The scholarship, which has been generously granted by The Caterpillar Foundation, makes the program even more affordable for students.  

A full list of The AED Foundation’s accredited college programs is available here.