“Image is everything,” states a popular marketing campaign. A good image is important in all industries, and HVACR is no exception.

Enter North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is working hard to improve the image of the HVAC technician in the eyes of customers, and, to educate the public about our industry with the hopes that more individuals will see HVACR as a viable field in which to pursue a career.

Changing Perceptions

“One bad apple can spoil the bunch” is right on the mark when speaking of the HVACR industry. Technicians who show up at a job dressed unprofessionally and who don’t have the people skills to work well with consumers are in a minority. But, those few technicians can affect opinions about the industry.

“Some techs don’t help us much when they show up in unprofessional attire and fail to interact well with customers. However, most technicians are skilled and are prepared to improve the quality of a customer’s comfort,” Rex Boynton, president of NATE, said.

Much like the automotive industry has done with its certified technicians, NATE has established an industry standard certification process to raise consumer confidence in HVACR technicians. When technicians wear the NATE patch, they demonstrate to everyone that they are the best in their field.

“We are in a unique position in the industry where we are partners with virtually all communities including the manufacturing, distributing, contracting, utility, training, trade association, and even federal agency. All have the same goal in mind — to create a common knowledge base — and we are all stakeholders,” Boynton said.

York is one manufacturer which has been on board since the beginning. Tom Huntington, president of York International UPG, is a firm believer in the program.

“It brings credibility to the profession and that is long overdue,” Huntington said. “It embraces the image and allows the industry to attract young talent. It shows that HVACR is a viable occupation. We do whatever we can to help NATE.”

While Huntington realizes there are some image problems out there, he believes most people respect technicians.

“I don’t believe that everybody has a negative image of technicians. Many times technicians are saviors to customers with heating or cooling problems. There might be a bit of stereotyping going on with some people who think of service techs as wearing shorts or jeans,” Huntington said.

NATE was formed because of an industry need.

“We recognized there was no consensus to coincide with the training resource. There was never any measure to what individuals were getting out of training,” Boynton said. “We are a knowledge standard that builds on training. That was fundamental to the initial launch of NATE. In the early days of training programs, there was no objective third party to measure what they were getting out of it. NATE really sets the bar.”

While Huntington is impressed with everything NATE does, he is quick to point out that NATE alone will not change a contracting company overnight.

“NATE only works when a company has a right mindset. That means items like a professional appearance. NATE can catapult a dealer,” Huntington said.

A Career In HVACR

Huntington believes there are two important facets to the NATE program. One is getting credibility in consumers’ eyes, and the second is making sure that the HVACR career option is one that is taken seriously.

“People see the heating and cooling industry as important work and realize that without the dedication of technicians it would not be possible,” said Boynton. “They recognize the value. However, while the public sees it as important work and a legitimate job, they would prefer the work for someone else’s child and not their own.”

Boynton tells a story about meeting a new neighbor. Once the neighbor found out what Boynton did for a living, he said, “Oh, you work with those guys that are good with their hands.”

Boynton quickly pointed out, “And the ones that are good with their heads, too.”

NATE wants to make sure stereotypes like those become a thing of the past.

“That stereotype is largely a function of people being poorly informed on what type of work technicians do. We want to help educate consumers to ensure they realize what sophisticated knowledge is required to work on home comfort systems,” Boynton said.

Since many companies across the country have trouble finding enough quality technicians, an increased interest in HVACR careers from the general public would be a welcomed sight.

“Being a professional, certified HVACR technician is a lifetime employment opportunity,” Boynton said. “It is a good story to tell and we want to share it.”