Hydronics training is getting a hands-on boost in Colorado.
NIBCO and Webstone donated a custom boiler and water heater training board to Red Rocks Community College, giving students practical exposure to hydronic system installation and operation. Contractor Magazine listed the donation as a July 29 training story.
For HVAC and plumbing contractors, this is a workforce story.
The industry does not only need more students. It needs students who have actually touched the systems they will work on in the field. Hydronics can be intimidating for new technicians because it involves piping, pumps, valves, controls, boilers, water heaters, expansion tanks, air elimination, and system troubleshooting.
Training boards give students a chance to see how components connect and how water moves through a system before they are standing in a customer’s mechanical room.
For contractors, this matters because better-prepared graduates can ramp faster and make fewer early mistakes. It also helps keep hydronics visible at a time when forced-air systems often dominate residential HVAC conversations.
The contractor takeaway: workforce development is strongest when manufacturers, schools, and contractors work together. Donated training equipment may not solve the labor shortage alone, but it can make new technicians more field-ready.
