National Trade Academy is an HVAC training school located outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. They provide their students with a unique and comprehensive educational experience, offering hands-on instruction from the industry’s top experts. Committed to the success of each of their students, they constantly seek innovative ways to prepare students for the workforce.
HVAC Skills Assessments – Knowledge is Power
Since 2020, National Trade Academy has been using Interplay Learning’s trades training platform, SkillMill™, to complement their hands-on Heating and Air Conditioning training. The videos and HVAC simulation courses cover many aspects of the HVAC business and have been beneficial not only to the students entering the profession, but for the school administrators, as well.
It’s been invaluable to get an understanding of an upcoming student’s capabilities before they walk into the classroom. With Command Center, we can have them review several modules to get an idea of where their skill levels fall, what their weak points are and what they might need to know to move forward. The assessments within the program save us weeks of time in getting the students up to speed when they get in the classroom and labs.
How Does Training Work at the National Trade Academy?
We offer several 2-week intensive, hands-on training classes in both heating and air conditioning service and installation, and people come to the schools from a 150-mile radius of the city.
After their training is completed, the students use the SkillMill platform to review what they have learned in the lab. We allow them to have access to the training for one year following their class to help them implement the skills they’ve learned into their work.
In April of 2019, we launched a newly renovated 7500-square-foot facility on Creek Road in Blue Ash, outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifty bays in the lab were outfitted and designed with HVAC equipment, so that each student will have the hands-on training that is so essential to learning a trade. In addition, a multimedia classroom was designed to provide students with a traditional learning experience, as well.
HVAC Training Used By More than Just Students
National Trade Academy has realized that the training isn’t just beneficial to the students coming to learn, but for their own staff, as well. Our Operations Manager, Rob Bynum said, “Our front office staff uses the videos to help them understand the many issues that come up regarding the various mechanics of HVAC units. After reviewing and learning from them, they are able to speak knowledgeably to the customer about their concerns, and then communicate those points intelligently to the staff that they are sending out to service the units.”
Overall, Interplay Learning’s HVAC training content has become an integral part of the National Trade Academy’s curriculum. We really feel as if our hands-on, in-person training, along with Interplay Learning’s support, has given us an edge over other schools throughout our region. We teach by doing the work on the equipment in a lab, and then reinforce that learning through these comprehensive simulations.
If you’re looking for more information about how you can prepare for your career in HVAC at National Trade academy, visit their website.
Tom Gray
Chief Instruction, National Trade Academy
Tom Gray is an HVAC professional and dedicated educator at the National Trade Academy. With decades of industry experience, Tom strives to provide aspiring technicians with the skills and tools they need to be successful in their HVAC careers.
