This past week, NBC’s Today show aired a segment that challenged the honesty and integrity of air conditioning technicians. Producers of the show staged a simple, easy-to-fix broken wire in an a/c system. Six technicians failed to make the proper recommendation. I believe that lack of proper training is a big part of the problem.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 86,600 HVAC technician jobs will become available through 2018. The industry is projected to grow at a rate of 34 percent over the next 10 years. But, the question remains, what are employers looking for and do the applicants have it?

According to HVAC Excellence, 65.6 percent of service technicians in the HVACR industry will not be in the industry in eight years. The next generation is now in the classroom learning skills to match the demands of the market, and there is a growing sense of the need to recruit those who will serve as the technicians of the future.

Vatterott College has announced the addition of a new Heating Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Service Technician program at its Fairview Heights, Ill., campus.

Contractors across the nation are finding that although the HVAC industry has experienced change in the recent economic crisis, its need for skilled labor and certified technicians has not been completely abated by the influx of displaced workers from the economic downturn. Other trade industries have noticed this problem, too.

It takes a trained tech to keep a building at its best.

Jasper Air, a division of Jasper Contractors Inc, has announced new openings in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, bringing 50 jobs to the state of Louisiana. In early 2011, the heating and cooling division launched in Phoenix and eventually plans to expand throughout the United States.

Kathy Corr, director of strategic relationships for North American Technician Excellence (NATE), has announced her plans to retire at the end of March 2012. Corr has been a member of the NATE team since 2006.