Western Equipment Dealers Association (WEDA) members see value as over 500 Technicians have taken the Online Ag Technician Test
Calgary, AB (November 6, 2017) – WEDA is pleased to advise a significant milestone has been reached with over 500 Ag technicians completing the Online Ag Technician Test since its inception.
Designed to recognize high performing technicians in dealerships, or used for evaluating prospective technicians during the hiring process, dealers have found this test to be both an efficient and cost-effective tool for evaluating current and potential employees.
Doug Loewen, Region 1 Manager at KanEquip Inc., says, “The WEDA Ag Technician Test is an excellent way to compare applicants for an open position. The scoring results of individual disciplines allows us to identify technicians with specific skill sets and to identify the training needs of new and existing employees.”
The test is divided into nine sections with 10 questions in each segment: General Shop Knowledge, Tools and Safety; Engine Basics; Engine Troubleshooting/Tune-Up; Power Trains/Drivelines; Electrical Principles; Electrical Circuits and Schematics; Hydraulics; Diesel Engines; and, Air Conditioning Systems. With many dealers hiring technicians from overseas, hard copies of the test are also available in French, German, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
“Young’s Equipment has been using the WEDA Ag Technician Test as part of our hiring process since it was developed and find that it is one of the best tools to determine a technician’s strengths and areas needed to coach up”, said Brent Bazin, Corporate Service Manager at Young’s Equipment. “We also used the test while hiring technicians from overseas and often found that the results were more to do with a language barrier than their understanding of the trade. This was apparent when we translated the test to German and would test first in English and then again in the native language. Most often we find it very helpful if we do not see a Red Seal Ag Journey status in an applicant’s resume as it helps us better understand what level of knowledge they do have.”
Administered online, the test can be taken anytime from anywhere in the world. Enrollment is a simple process. Dealers simply email the technician’s name, and a username and access code are emailed to the dealer principal, service manager, or human resources manager.
Bazin added, “As the test is not specifically Ag it can be used to test many of the mechanical fields. For example, an auto technician might not understand hydraulics as well as a heavy duty technician might, but an auto mechanic should be just as competent with electrical as any other mechanical fields.”
“What started as a vision to help dealers with the ag technician shortage in our industry, has grown to provide a value-added service that many WEDA members rely on during their hiring process or to find out where their current technicians are at,” said John Schmeiser, CEO, WEDA. “We are pleased that dealers see value in this program as part of their hiring process or evaluating the skills of existing employees.”
Developed in cooperation with the Ohio State University and Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the WEDA Online Ag Technician Test is available at no charge for WEDA members. The test is a fee for service to manufacturers who are interested in having the test available for their purposes.
For more information about the Western Equipment Dealers Association Online Ag Technician Test, contact the Association office at (800) 661-2452.
