Training the next generation of technicians
Read time: 5 minutes
CNH’s Top Tech Initiative recruits and trains students across the US and Canada to operate its diagnostic tools, addressing a skills gap at dealerships to better support customer needs.
“CNH machines have become more sophisticated every year as they incorporate more computerization and technology. This means our dealerships no longer need mechanics to mend and swap out parts,” says James Ruffalo, director of training at CNH North America. “Instead, they need people who are trained to do true diagnostic work and can fix any issues.” However, technician availability hasn't always kept up with growth, which can stretch resources for dealers and their customers. So, five years ago, CNH set up a program to help train them. Today, 65 schools across 27 states and into Canada are part of what has become known as CNH’s Top Tech Initiative. This year, 372 students are set to graduate, more than ever before, and the program has been so popular that CNH is looking to expand it into more states including Washington, Texas and Arkansas.
Recruitment
The Initiative takes on students who want to become technicians, encouraging them to get sponsored by a CNH dealership. It then finds technical schools and colleges in the right areas to teach the fundamentals of both CNH’s agricultural and construction equipment. “To recruit we go to national events like job fairs and draw students in with a hands-on activity. It might be disassembling a hydraulic remote valve or motor and then putting it back together again. We might turn it into a timed event, so it becomes a competition, and award prizes. This encourages the students to come back multiple times, maybe twenty or thirty times, to try to win. This really shows us the students who are driven and motivated,” says Sheila Jones, who works alongside Ruffalo as the TopTech program manager.
To recruit we go to national events like job fairs and draw students in with a hands-on activity
On the left: a FFA student 2025. On the right: College of the Sequoias students recruiting at a local event.
At the end of the day, it’s about preparing the technicians to perform on the job from day one
Achieving common standards
Once enrolled in the training program, the students gain a basic overview of the electrical hydraulics, the powertrain, precision agriculture systems and tools. There is also an option to include precision technology, recently added at the request of dealers. In addition, the course covers basic customer service, which is aimed at field technicians who will be visiting customers’ farms or construction sites to diagnose and fix problems rather than working in a dealership. “We cover the principles of all these topics, so the students get a good understanding. Instructors also go into how to start diagnosing issues using our electronic service tool, which is a requirement for attaining the fundamental level. It means students learn what the codes given by the tool mean and the next steps to take. Even though it’s called fundamental, it is pretty advanced,” explains Jones. To ensure students reach the same level regardless of which school they attend, CNH evolved a set of standards. These form the basis for each school’s own program, which tends to be developed in partnership with local dealers. Some programs may run for only one semester; others run for a year. “The length depends on what the dealers are looking for, as well as how fast the schools want to relay the information to the students. At the end of the day, it’s about preparing the technicians to perform on the job from day one,” says Ruffalo.
Securing successful careers
Unlike young people who do apprenticeships and other on-the-job learning schemes, CNH’s Top Tech Initiative graduates start work at a dealership knowing how to use the CNH systems and tools. This means that the dealer gets an extra pair of hands and existing staff don’t get taken off work to train the apprentices for months on end. Another benefit for the dealerships is that they are securing higher retention rates among the graduates. “It’s still such a very tight labor market that a lot of technicians will go to other employers for a slight raise. But under this program, a lot of dealers are offering tool reimbursements on completion under a contract that says the student must stay for a set length of time,” he says. Many of the students are sponsored by dealerships, so they will walk into jobs. Others are recruited at the end of the course by dealerships who seek out the best-performing students. And more women are joining every year — this year they make up around 5%. “I feel they’re getting more comfortable and willing to explore what have been seen as male careers. It’s also helped that the technology is getting cleaner and dealerships are investing in better equipment,” explains Jones. The original program has been adapted to ensure the right schools are offering the Initiative. The current version started three years ago with fifty schools. Each year since, Ruffalo and Jones have added five more. “We don’t just want to add schools so we can say we’ve got one hundred, 150, two hundred. We need to find the right schools in the right locations that can deliver quality programs. We look at the needs of key markets and see if they’re being met. It’s about sustainable growth and quality partners to train qualified technicians,” says Ruffalo.
The original program has been adapted to ensure the right schools are offering the Initiative. The current version started three years ago with fifty schools. Each year since, Ruffalo and Jones have added five more.
On the left: Case IH 2026 Graduation class NDSCS. On the right: hands-on learning for instructors 2026 summit.
This valuable piece of equipment has significantly enhanced our students’ hands-on learning opportunities across multiple courses and training activities
Rewarding the best schools
The best performing schools have been invited to apply for grant funding from CNH for the past two years under another aspect of the Initiative. “We evaluate all our schools and dealers every year to find out how many students they have, how many were hired and what the retention rate is. We then invite the best-performing schools to apply for a CNH Top Tech Grant,” explains Jones. “The application includes a plan for how they would spend the money, and often this includes a community element, and the impact the grant would have.” As the average grant is $50,000, the schools are highly motivated to perform well. This year, Southeast Community College (Nebraska) and Ridgewater College (Minnesota) benefited. Last year and the year before, grants supported Southwest Wisconsin Technical College and Barton County Community College, Kansas, respectively. CNH also offers in-kind donations that help the students learn, in lieu of a monetary grant. For example, it gave a New Holland Workmaster 75 tractor to the College of the Sequoias in California for its Equipment Technician Program. “This valuable piece of equipment has significantly enhanced our students’ hands-on learning opportunities across multiple courses and training activities,” says instructor Charles Abee.
Building long-term impact
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from both the dealerships and the students in the US and Canada. The dealerships like the sponsorship aspect, which ensures they already have a relationship with the students when they come to work for them. The students feel well-prepared and confident to start work. “What’s great is that we are getting more people interested in becoming and training to become technicians. It’s a great career path with lots of opportunities and lots to learn,” says Jones. “And while technicians might use artificial intelligence to help diagnose an issue, someone will always have to physically fix it, meaning these jobs are pretty future-proofed.”
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