National Trade Tech, an online training provider for the skilled trades, now offers training programs for employers. Trade contractors, service companies, property managers and facilities departments can use it to onboard new technicians and upskill their current workforce in HVAC, electrical, plumbing, appliance repair and building and facilities maintenance.
Many employers in the trades say they can’t hire or develop skilled technicians fast enough. Traditional classroom training often means taking technicians off billable work. National Trade Tech’s programs are fully online and asynchronous, so employees can train around their schedules. Virtual reality simulations are included in every program, so technicians practice diagnostic and repair tasks in realistic scenarios before doing them on a live job. Instructors support learners throughout, and programs include preparation for third-party industry credential exams.
“The contractors and facilities leaders I talk to say some version of the same thing: they have work to do and not enough trained people to do it,” said Andrew Wilkinson, founder and executive director of National Trade Tech. “We’re not trying to replace the apprenticeship or the ride-along with a senior tech. We want a new hire to show up already knowing the fundamentals and safety, and to have practiced the job in a simulation first. That makes the time your experienced techs spend with them far more valuable. Think of us as a high-tech textbook for 21st-century technician training.”
Employers can use National Trade Tech for the following:
- New-hire onboarding: consistent technical and safety foundations before or alongside field work
- Incumbent-worker upskilling: helping current staff build skills and prepare for credential exams
- Multi-location cohorts: the same training across branches and regions
- Pilot programs: a focused start with one occupation and defined goals
Simulations run on a Meta Quest headset or a standard Windows or Mac computer, so no headset is required. In the HVAC program, for example, learners troubleshoot gas furnace faults such as a failed flame sensor or igniter.
Employers can learn more and schedule a conversation at nationaltradetech.com/employer-training.
National Trade Tech is also developing a Data Center Technician program to meet growing demand for technicians who can maintain critical facilities.
Online training supplements, and does not replace, required field experience, apprenticeship hours, licensing or employer onboarding.
