Women Can Do Anything, Just Ask Sara Paiz!
Sara Paiz is busy building a better world for her customers, her company, and her community, one HVAC call at a time. This driven NexTech Academy graduate knows first-hand there is great potential and a brighter future for herself and her peers – women looking to break barriers and pursue a career in the skilled […]
Contractors Navigate New Roads with Comprehensive Technical Workforce Development e-Guide
As they traverse the roadway towards business growth and success in the home services industry, Nexstar Network members looking to build an in-house technical training academy now have an exciting new map and tools at their fingertips. A comprehensive e-Guide – developed by NexTech Academy’s team and fueled by insights from fellow Nexstar members – […]
Icing on the Cake! The Eco Plumbers University & NexTech Academy Honors Their 999th and 1,000th Graduates
The most recent class of graduates to complete their technical training at The Eco Plumbers University (Eco U) gathered recently to celebrate their accomplishments, receive their certificates, and pose for photos – all while enjoying a piece of graduation cake, of course! This time, the icing on the cake – metaphorically speaking – held special […]
NexTech Academy Celebrating 5 Years!
“I can’t afford to train my own technicians.” Nexstar members used to say this a lot. When we launched NexTech Academy in 2018, we set out to help them tackle the challenge of in-house training. At the time, apprenticeship programs and training classes for commercial new construction had been the status quo for decades, and […]
You Can’t Learn to Swim (or Become a Successful HVAC Technician) by Reading a Book
Savannah Roberts, an HVAC service technician with David Gray Electrical, Plumbing, Heating & Air in NE Florida, remembers the exact Monday she decided it was time for a change. She wanted to chart a new career path, and she had key criteria in mind for that path: she did not want a desk job, and […]
Seasoned Leader Helps Launch Deljo NexTech Academy In-House Training
In the second installment of our two-part blog series, we’re shining the spotlight on Charlie Cotto, Director of Deljo Heating and Cooling‘s in-house NexTech Academy. Charlie shares how his journey in the trades has led him to his current role as a respected trainer, mentor, and leader to his students and graduates like David Ciechanowski . […]
Deljo’s First NexTech Academy Graduate: “I’m Rolling into the Field I’ve Been Training For”
Sinnce launching their in-house technical training program, Deljo Heating and Cooling has graduated four level-one apprentices in the past six months. We recently caught up with David Ciechanowski, Deljo’s very first NexTech Academy graduate, and Charlie Cotto, Deljo’s NexTech Academy Director, to learn more. In this first installment of a two-part blog series, we’re spotlighting […]
To Change Your Business for Good, Change How You Think About Recruiting
By Joel Ellingson, Director of NexTech Academy You know it and I know it: There simply aren’t enough future trades professionals training up, right now, to meet the needs of North America’s growing PHCE companies. A fundamentally different approach is required to identify, recruit, and hire the technical talent needed to fuel the growth […]
NexTech Graduate Perseveres with Plumbing Technical Training
We recently caught up with Justin Brock, a plumbing technician with Warner Super Service of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Justin is a new graduate from Warner’s in-house NexTech Academy technical training course, and he’s already putting his knowledge, skillsets, and know-how to work in the field. Read how Justin’s knowledge, resilience, and willingness to tackle the […]
Participation is Power
As an owner or a manager of a plumbing, electrical, or heating/air-conditioning business, you may already have seen other companies successfully growing their own in-house workforces. You may know you have access to NexTech Academy , an online technical training opportunity for your technicians. You might even be ready to bring NexTech Academy into your […]