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AED Alert: AED Participates in White House Workforce Event

On October 31, AED Chairwoman Diane Benck of West Side Tractor Sales Co., attended a White House-hosted discussion with President Donald J. Trump, Advisor Ivanka Trump and National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow about workforce development and the economy. AED was among a select group of organizations and companies invited to participate.

The event highlighted the Trump administration’s “Pledge to America’s Workers,” an initiative seeking commitments from organizations and companies to train workers for skilled careers. AED and The AED Foundation have pledged to train and retrain 10,000 individuals during the next five years through AED Foundation accredited diesel technology programs, association educational seminars and courses, and our individual dealers, who invest millions of dollars annually to provide their employees the skills the industry demands. To learn more about supporting The AED Foundation’s efforts, click here.

“It was an honor to represent AED and equipment dealers across the country to support President Trump and his administration’s efforts to ensure workers have the training required to fill in-demand jobs,” said Chairwoman Benck. “The greatest challenge facing the equipment industry is the technician shortage, which is costing AED members more than $2.4 billion per year in lost revenue and economic activity. AED commends the president and Ms. Trump for their leadership and recognizing the responsibility the private sector must shoulder to ensure our nation’s workforce acquires the skills AED members demand.”

Chairwoman Benck was accompanied by Andrew Roge, a field service technician for West Side Tractor Sales Co., based out of South Holland, Ill. Roge, a Marine veteran, has benefited from more than 100 hours of training provided by West Side Tractor since joining the company earlier this year.

To watch video of the event, click here.