Facing an industry-wide shortage for skilled technicians, the largest ag equipment brands are taking a multifaceted approach to reach potential workers. That includes helping second-career recruits balance work with ag mechanic training, helping veterans transition from service into civilian ag tech careers and recruiting traditionally non-ag metro area students.
“We try to meet people where they are in their life,” says David Bostic, a technician recruiter at John Deere. “We’re trying to make people aware of careers in agriculture broadly, not just mechanic work — especially in major metropolitan areas where students have zero exposure to agricultural, or the construction and forestry industries.”
A joint study from the Manufacturing Institute, the National Association of Manufacturers and Deloitte estimates upward of 3 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2033. Some 65% of manufacturers list retaining talent as a top business priority. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 160,100 annual openings for general maintenance and repair workers over the next decade.
Labor shortage
According to Bostic, this skilled labor gap doesn’t have a single culprit. And an aging workforce could make it increasingly difficult for manufacturers to find enough help. He lists these as key hurdles farm equipment brands must overcome to bring in talent:
- decades of university-focused career guidance
- competition from other skilled manufacturing industries facing similar workforce shortages
- cost of education
- general ignorance about ag tech opportunities
“It’s not so much lack of interest, it’s lack of awareness,” he says. “I learned mechanics from my father. We had a shop outside the house when I was 10 or 11 years old. That’s not the case anymore with social media and video game culture.”
That makes reaching students early, while they’re still in high school, important. Then, the two-year JD Tech college technician hybrid training program transitions those young people into the workplace. Those already in the workforce can receive training through John Deere University.
To reach more urban communities, Bostic says they work with programs like the National Leadership and Skills Conference, and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. Much of Bostic’s efforts are focused on connecting with military service members nearing the end of active service. Deere’s Skill Bridge Internship Program functions as a “six-month-long job interview” facilitated by the Department of Defense.
“Most military veterans go directly to dealerships rather than through college programs because many are 22 to 24 years old with families [and] already have strong technical fundamentals from military maintenance roles,” he says.
Regardless of the avenue, building a reliable talent pipeline into ag machinery is a long-term effort. “Students contacted in eighth or ninth grade are just now entering the workforce,” Bostic says.
In the end, Bostic is betting this effort will pay dividends. Agricultural technology is expanding rapidly, bringing new opportunities. “A lot of people don’t realize how advanced agriculture has become,” he says.