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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.  

Introducing The AED Foundation’s Construction Career Aptitude Test

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The AED Foundation’s newest resource for students, the Construction Career Aptitude Test, is launching soon! This free test will help 13-17-year-olds interested in the equipment industry to gauge their understanding of industry knowledge before entering a recognized high school program or an accredited college program. With the help of this aptitude test, students and instructors can focus on students’ prior knowledge and examine areas where a student may need extra training.

The test includes 50 questions on a variety of topics, including:

  • Measurement
  • General mathematics
  • Safety
  • Mechanical reasoning
  • Basic electrical
  • Hydraulics
  • Engine systems

The test will be available to students through their organization’s login. Upon completion of the test, the organization will have immediate access to student results. The AED Foundation aims to provide this test to allow students and instructors to evaluate the student’s strengths and weaknesses upon introduction to the equipment industry, including easy analyzation of test results. Students will receive a score in each category of the test, as well as an overall score. This provides instructors with a clear perspective on what to focus on to achieve student success.

Test results will help students individually, but they offer organizations benchmarking data that helps evaluate their test takers. The Foundation is committed to working hard to ensure students can determine key areas that need improvement and prepare for their careers in the industry.

What are Stackable Credentials and Why do They Matter?

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As the Foundation continues to encourage students to take an interest in the equipment industry, The AED Foundation (AEDF) works to deliver a new method of providing education to high school students this fall: stackable credentials.  

Stackable credentials consist of a way to educate students with online courses that build upon one another. The goal with stackable credentials is to allow students to become familiar with industry knowledge and practices early on. AEDF believes that this education will assist students in growing into highly competent industry technicians. By drawing the attention of students and showcasing the significance of quality education from early on, The AED Foundation strongly believes that this will help reduce the workforce shortage.   

The focuses for these credentials are based on the core competencies in AEDF’s technical standards.  

To put it in perspective, once a student has completed all of the courses for electrical/electronics, for example, they can move on to completing the courses for the following competency. These credentials build on each other to create a well-rounded, knowledgeable and qualified student. Stackable credentials offer students an informative introduction to the industry that provides them with a solid foundation of base knowledge.  

As these students move on from high school into either a career or one of AEDF’s accredited college programs, they will find that these credentials put them ahead of classmates or others who are new to the industry. With a familiar background in each of the core competencies, students can move confidently through an accredited college program, focusing on these competencies.  

Students who complete AEDF’s stackable credentials show employers that they take their education seriously. No matter what route students decide to choose, earning stackable credentials offers more flexibility and opportunity within their career path. Students gaining more knowledge from an early age helps them succeed while also relieving instructors of some of the stress in educating students new to the industry. In addition, dealers can benefit from hiring a student that stands out from the crowd with these credentials.  

The AED Foundation is excited to launch stackable credentials to encourage more high schoolers to enter the equipment industry. Students who receive stackable credentials will be more prepared for their future in the industry, but they display their dedication and commitment to becoming educated in the industry. 

How High Schools Get Engaged and Become Recognized

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High school recognition is a sought-after distinction in the industry as it displays school commitment to The AED Foundation’s (AEDF) standards and student education. Many high schools may wonder how they can become recognized by The Foundation, or if there’s anything they can do to speed up the process. In this post, we discuss what high schools can do to work towards becoming recognized.  

The first part of the recognition process starts with the high school. High schools can reach out to an AED accredited college in the area to establish an articulation agreement. Creating an articulation agreement between an accredited college and the prospective recognized high school helps to expedite the process of becoming AEDF recognized. This would ideally include a robust dual credit agreement. The articulation agreement is beneficial to schools as it offers students a smooth transition from a high school program to a college program.  

There are five parts to AEDF’s high school recognition process that are handled on the school’s end, including:  

  1. Have an articulation agreement in place with local AEDF accredited college (dual credits recommended).  
  2. Provide advisory board lists for both the high school and AEDF accredited college.  
  3. Provide the Foundation with 3-5 photos of the high school facility.  
  4. A letter of recommendation from the accredited college is necessary, and a supporting dealer letter is preferred.  
  5. The high school needs to send a 1.5 to 3-page summary of their program.  

Taking a proactive approach and working to get these steps completed can help your school speed up the recognition process. It should be noted that the most important part of becoming recognized is that the high school program must display competency in at least one to two of AEDF’s six technical standards (Electrical/electronics, HVAC, hydrostatics/hydraulics, powertrains, diesel engines, safety/administration). This helps ensure that students are aptly prepared for their careers as technicians in the equipment industry.  

The Foundation highly anticipates recognizing more high school programs in the coming years in contribution to Vision 2025 AEDF’s response to address the workforce shortage. The AED Foundation’s goal is to have 50 recognized high school programs in 2025. The schools’ efforts that work with the Foundation to become recognized have a lasting, positive impact on the future of the industry and the students that graduate from these programs.  

Learn All About AEDF’s Recognized High School Programs in July!

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As we move into July, The AED Foundation (AEDF) is switching focus for its brand awareness campaign to a new topic: recognized high school programs! Throughout the month, AEDF will be focusing on the critical role that recognized high schools play in bringing qualified technicians into the industry and addressing the workforce shortage. This relates to the Foundation’s Vision 2025 goal, which includes 50 recognized high school programs. Recognized high schools help students become highly educated as they transfer into an AEDF accredited college program, offering a strong background for them as they become future technicians. Students who graduate from an AEDF recognized high school and college go through a rigorous training process, ensuring that they are a top tier applicant upon graduation. 

The AED Foundation currently has six recognized high school programs, including:

These high schools have made efforts to meet all AEDF’s standards to enable their students to have a bright future as AEDF certified technicians. 

The Foundation’s goal to recognize 50 high school programs by 2025 will offer substantial benefits for students, schools and dealers. Students enrolled at an AEDF recognized high school could attend an accredited college program once they graduate, which is closely partnered with a nearby dealership, facilitating a space for dealers to oversee that the instruction meets their individual needs. In addition, students enrolled in The AED Foundation’s recognized high school programs can apply for a CAT Foundation scholarship for their education at an AEDF accredited college program. 

By recognizing more high school programs, the Foundation is adding more highly skilled technicians to the workforce. AEDF hopes to make these recognized programs widely available to provide more opportunities for young people interested in a rewarding career in the equipment industry. To learn more about the Foundation’s recognized high school programs, view the Vision 2025 Brochure.  

Technical Testing and Certifications as Part of Our Vision 2025 Goal

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The AED Foundation (AEDF) strongly believes in continuous learning and education for technicians to help dealers ensure top quality performance and open up new growth opportunities. As part of Vision 2025 ) the Foundation plans to administer 10,000 tests and certify 5,000 technicians. To facilitate this goal, AEDF is happy to offer testing and certifications for technicians to demonstrate their abilities. The Foundation’s testing is used to measure a technician’s knowledge before hiring and helps determines the strengths and weaknesses of current technicians employed at your dealership. Offering your technicians, the opportunity to evaluate their skills and gain a certification displays commitment to their growth and career development. 

 Technical testing provides benefits to dealers and technicians interested in furthering their skill set. Dealers can gauge a technician’s knowledge and identify areas of strengths and weaknesses through AEDF’s Technical Test. The results offer a clear depiction of what areas a technician excels and what areas need improving. Dealers save time and money on training by using AEDF’s testing tool pre-hire to determine if an applicant is the right fit for the position, and then training to focus on weaker areas. Technicians can feel confident that they are taking the steps needed to become a well-rounded, knowledgeable employee by identifying the areas they need to improve upon. Testing costs are regularly $100 for members, but The AED Foundation is offering a limited time discount of 25% for dealers now through July 14. 

The AED Foundation’s Certified Technician Program  ensures that technicians are highly qualified to perform effectively at a dealership. AEDF’s certification shows dealers and customers that a technician meets an industry recognized standard. The AED Foundation is proud to recognize technicians and dealerships whenever a technician completes the program. Certification displays that technicians meet an industry recognized standard. Customers of dealerships with certified technicians can be assured that technicians are the top tier in the entire industry. 

Beginning in August, AEDF will offer its new aptitude test for students age 13-16. The aptitude test has been designed to create a benchmark for both student and dealer awareness.  The test helps gauge students’ knowledge before entering a recognized high school program or accredited college program. With this additional testing, instructors can familiarize themselves with student capabilities before they begin the program and can focus on general weak points to ensure students are up to speed. 

The AED Foundation Knows Good…

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The AED Foundation Knows Good Bourbon! 

The AED Foundation (AEDF) wants to help our members succeed by providing resources and education however we can…and today, we are doing so by treating our members to a National Bourbon Day celebration! 

In honor of National Bourbon Day, AEDF is filling our social media pages with fun facts, bourbon cocktail recipes, and a bourbon giveaway! This is a great opportunity for AED members to get involved with the Foundation on social media. AEDF regularly posts important updates and information on current projects that are being worked on, and you might even have a chance at winning some free bourbon! 

Fast Facts about Bourbon: 

  • 95% of bourbon is made in Kentucky. 
  • In 2018, Kentucky had 68 bourbon distilleries, a 250% increase from 2009! 
  • For a whiskey to qualify as bourbon, it must be made in the United States, and be made of at least 51%, but no more than 71% corn. 
  • In 1964, Congress declared that bourbon is the United States’ only native spirit.

Interested in learning more about bourbon? Try out one of these documentaries! 

  • Neat: The Story of Bourbon (2018) 
  • Straight Up: Kentucky Bourbon (2018) 

Check us out on social media to discover more fun facts, our “signature” cocktail recipes, and of course, our bourbon giveaway! 

The AED Foundation is celebrating National Bourbon Day to not only engage in the fun and excitement of a giveaway of one of our favorite whiskies, but to spread the word of our Vision 2025 campaign. The Foundation’s goal with this campaign has been to put a fun twist on an important focus of ours in the coming years. Today’s content is not only about bourbon, but about Vision 2025 as well. Look for our Foundation-related cocktail names on social media, along with facts about Vision 2025 and AEDF in the descriptions! The Foundation hopes to bring awareness to its goals that will benefit the industry as a whole, while offering our members a fun contest to participate in! 

Vision 2025 is The AED Foundation’s solution to address the workforce shortage. By involving students, schools, and dealer members, the Foundation has developed a plan that will create a steady and sustainable pipeline of qualified technicians into the workforce for years to come. To learn more about Vision 2025, click here.