Program ramping up efforts to get people into workforce amid HVAC, plumber worker shortage

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The National Technical Institute in Henderson is training and getting students certified to work in these industries in three to four months.

A working sink with running water is necessary, but finding a technician can sometimes be difficult when something breaks.

“Doing sinks, garbage disposals, something really easy, then we will move on to toilets,” said plumbing student Josiah Menendez.

Menendez explained his hands-on work at NTI to get into the workforce.

“Anywhere you go, there is always going to be a big plumbing need because a lot of the plumbers are actually retiring and there is not a lot of people going into it right now,” said Menendez.

NTI teaches three trades which include HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.

CEO of NTI said they are seeing the biggest need in the plumbing and HVAC industries, especially with more homes and properties being built.

“Everybody go to college and now we are realizing we have this workforce that we haven’t trained to help keep all the systems that keep everything working, we don’t have the people coming into the trades to keep those going,” said CEO of NTI Ryan Woodward.

Each program for these trades is fast-tracked and completed within 8 to 16 weeks.

“We have gone through all the basics you need to know for being a plumbing apprentice which is a great thing, and most programs don’t give you the great basics like this program does,” said Menendez.

The courses cost between $6,000 to $10,000 and while the NTI doesn’t accept student loans, they are VA-approved and work with third-party private lenders to get loans to help pay for students’ schooling.

“We try to not turn anybody away,” said Woodward. “If they don’t have the opportunity to pay for it, we try very hard to figure out a way to say, come to class anyways.”

NTI in Las Vegas had 700 students graduate last year and has about 300 people enrolled at any given time.

The graduation rate is 99.9% and 90% are getting employed in these trades.

Once students complete the program, they receive a certificate and the school works with over 200 contractors within the valley to hire their graduates.

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