Whether at the factory, in the field, or online, when it comes to Taco Comfort Solutions’ industry-leading, flexible training programs for residential and commercial systems, application-based training as opposed to product-based training is the name of the game.

“A true professional is always looking for ways to get better,” says John Barba, Taco’s director of sales training for North America. “A great example is Larry Bird, the legendary Boston Celtics basketball player. He would spend hours before a game taking jump shots with nobody else in the gym. Many would think he didn’t need the practice, but one of the attributes of a professional is constantly striving for improvement. That’s how we approach our training programs at Taco—with a goal of serving our customers and the idea of getting more knowledgeable, more accurate, and better at our professional jobs.”

Taco’s factory training courses feature two days of advanced training for hydronic designers and installers. The online e-learning training programs allow students to work at their own pace. All of the training programs are application based and show students how to solve common industry problems.

Taco’s training philosophy includes repetition, hands-on interaction, problem-solving questions-and-answer sessions, and specific exercises.

The Taco Innovation and Development Center is a state-of-the-art learning and training environment, complete with classroom spaces, conference rooms, and functional labs for testing and teaching. The IDC was designed to showcase the latest in energy-saving and sustainable products from Taco Comfort Solutions and provide “Living Laboratories” of installed and operational products for hands-on demonstrations and teaching purposes.

Taco isn’t new to training. They first scheduled regular webinars in 2013, and the training continued to increase through the years, including flexible “after dark” training that accommodated end users’ busy work schedules.

“During COVID, we couldn’t get out in the field and conduct our regular factory classes,” Barba says. “So, we figured out ways to reach our customers and continue to help them. For the after dark classes, we were having 500 people attend, mostly tradesmen who wanted to learn and get better at their jobs.”

Taco opens its training to anyone. It’s not exclusive to Taco customers.

For Barba, continuous learning is essential to any trade—a lesson he learned from his father.

“He used to say that we don’t stop learning until they close the lid on your coffin,” he says. “We can all improve, and it’s human nature to want to get better.”

That philosophy is especially true in an industry where the aging workforce continues to retire and take a wealth of tribal knowledge with them. That’s why Taco also focuses on internships and apprenticeships in conjunction with local trade schools.

“We all want to be involved in creating a new generation of highly skilled and highly motivated professionals,” Barba says. “And with the ever-changing technology, it’s important for all of us to stay up to date with the latest trends. I accomplish this by hiring people in the program who are smarter than me. If we really want to know something and learn something, we must try to develop a plan for teaching it in a way that will resonate. That’s how we continually evolve.”

For more information on Taco’s extensive training programs, please follow this link: https://www.tacocomfort.com/training/