Schaumburg Business Leader Urges Strong Support for Legislation to Overhaul Career and Technical Education

Yesterday, Associated Equipment Distributors President and CEO Brian P. McGuire sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urging the House to act swiftly and decisively to approve the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 5587). The legislation, which was unanimously approved by the House Education & Workforce Committee, enhances, reforms and reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Act to address one of the most pressing challenges facing American businesses: The skilled worker shortage.

McGuire's call for action was rooted in stark data: the recently released AED Foundation study by researchers at the College of William & Mary quantified the technician shortage's economic impact on the equipment industry. The study found that:

• The technician shortage is costing AED members approximately $2.4 billion per year in lost revenue and economic opportunity.

• The average job open rate for AED members - the percentage of jobs going unfilled - is 11.34 percent, more than three times the national average.

• Distributors cite the lack of hard skills as the top reason technician positions are so hard to fill.

• Seventy-eight percent of AED members don't think local educational institutions - high schools, community colleges and technical schools - understand equipment dealer workforce needs and don't believe curricula are aligned to meet those needs.

• More than 50 percent of AED members said the skills gap had hindered dealership growth and increased costs and inefficiencies. But the technician shortage isn't just a problem for dealers; it's also a problem for all the economic sectors AED members serve: Almost 75 percent of survey respondents said the technician shortage made it difficult to meet customer demand.

"Simply put, by making technical education a priority, Congress can help better prepare workers for well-paying careers, ensure that U.S. companies are able to seize new business opportunities and make the United States more competitive in the global economy," McGuire's letter said. "Businesses, schools and government officials must collectively commit to tackling the technical education crisis at all levels, and you can take a great step towards enabling that commitment by passing H.R. 5587."

About AED-AED is an international trade association based in Schaumburg, Illinois representing companies involved in the distribution, rental, and support of equipment used in construction, mining, energy, forestry, power generation, agriculture, and industrial applications. More information is available at www.aednet.org.