XOi Technologies, the complete system of record and enablement for field service data collection and indexing, has announced a strategic partnership with Nexstar Network, a business coaching/education network for HVAC, electrical and plumbing contractors.

The partnership promises to ease the skilled-trades labor-shortage gap by instantly providing education, coaching, documents, and technical manuals directly to field service technicians through XOi's Vision app.

According to a survey conducted by staffing leader PeopleReady, the skilled trades are in dire need of trained workers, with a particularly high demand for apprentice-level and skilled labor positions. Research shows that there are currently 500,000 job vacancies in the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) sectors, with the number expected to increase 21 percent by 2022.

"XOi has demonstrated that they're devoted to arming technicians with the tools and data insights needed to bring training, knowledge, and expertise to every jobsite," said Julian Scadden, president and CEO of Nexstar Network. "As we look for innovative ways to solve the trades gap and improve technician training throughout the MEP industry, the need for technology cannot be ignored. This partnership will put Nexstar's professional training directly into the hands of the onsite tech at the moment he needs the expertise."

XOi's technician-first application leverages innovative AI, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), data science, and virtual intelligence technologies to allow field techs to safely capture crucial jobsite information, launch on-the-job remote support, access relevant equipment specifications and contextual data insights, and provide visual documentation to verify recommended and completed work.

Nexstar has been a trusted partner in helping nearly 800 independent residential service contractors improve their businesses since 1992. Nexstar members benefit from comprehensive business training, proprietary processes and systems and dedicated business, call center and marketing coaches.

"In today's economic climate, contractors are looking for ways to assist their current labor market by bringing the skill and knowledge of their most experienced technicians to the jobsite through remote video support to reduce the need to roll a second truck," said Aaron Salow, XOi founder and CEO. "By marrying Nexstar's proven training and growth programs with XOi's patented technology, we will empower technicians with the tools, data, and resources needed to solve the industry's greatest challenge — the skilled trades gap."