LAS VEGAS —Quality Training Centers (QTC) is entering a new period of growth in Las Vegas, expanding its campus and strengthening its leadership team as Southern Nevada contractors continue to search for skilled technicians. For new co-owner and operator Chris Roth, the expansion also represents a homecoming more than three decades in the making.
Just Now News recently received an extensive tour of the Quality Training Centers Las Vegas campus led by Richard Horwitz, Director of Admissions. Richard provided an inside look at the classrooms, equipment, training stations and hands-on labs that make up the school. Following the tour, Just Now News sat down with Roth for an in-depth meeting about QTC’s approach to trade education, its expansion and his vision for the school’s future.
A Campus Built With Students in Mind
What stood out during the tour was how intentionally QTC has built its campus around students and the jobs they hope to secure after graduation. Rather than creating traditional classrooms and adapting trade instruction to them, the school has developed training areas around the work technicians actually perform.
That approach comes from QTC’s roots as a school run by people who understand the trades. Contractors know what technicians face when they arrive at a customer’s home, commercial property or active job site. QTC uses that experience to create an environment where students can learn a concept and then put that lesson into practice.
Richard walked Just Now News through training spaces filled with equipment students may encounter in their careers. QTC labs contain more than 80 working units, while classes limit enrollment to provide greater access to hands-on instruction.
The goal goes beyond explaining how equipment operates. Students work with systems, diagnose problems and learn troubleshooting techniques designed to prepare them for situations in the field.
Hands-On Training Goes Beyond the Classroom
One of the most distinctive parts of the campus is QTC’s residential skills lab, built to give students a realistic environment for training. Instead of relying only on textbooks and diagrams, students can see how equipment and systems function within residential settings.
Throughout the tour, Richard explained how QTC connects training with employment. His role includes maintaining relationships with Southern Nevada contractors and understanding what employers need from new technicians.
That connection helps support QTC’s contractor-driven approach. The school wants students to understand not only technical concepts but also how those skills translate to the workplace.
HVAC, Electrical and Refrigeration Programs
Quality Training Centers offers programs in heating and air conditioning, electrical technology and refrigeration technology, along with certification and customized training opportunities.
The school’s HVAC program combines classroom instruction with extensive hands-on training. Students study refrigeration fundamentals, electricity for air conditioning, heating systems, heat pumps, brazing and troubleshooting. Training also covers commercial and low-temperature refrigeration, walk-in freezers and ice machines.
QTC’s current HVAC program spans 12 weeks and 192 hours of instruction. The school offers morning, afternoon and evening schedules to accommodate students with different work and family commitments.
Electrical students receive training in both residential and commercial systems. The 12-week program includes electrical theory and safety, tools, drawings and schematics, wiring methods, conduit, junction boxes, transformers, grounding, lighting, motors and motor controls. Students also learn troubleshooting techniques through hands-on laboratory work.
QTC also offers specialized refrigeration training covering low-, medium- and high-temperature systems. Students work with commercial equipment such as refrigerators, reach-in units, walk-in freezers and ice machines while learning testing, maintenance and troubleshooting procedures.
Beyond its core programs, QTC offers EPA certification, NATE testing and customized training for contractors. Its custom training programs allow companies to target specific workforce needs, including troubleshooting, electrical wiring, refrigeration, safety and technician development.
A major part of QTC’s mission is helping students turn their technical training into employment opportunities. The school provides job placement assistance for graduates seeking work throughout Nevada, helping connect trained technicians with employers looking for qualified workers. This employment-focused approach gives students support as they transition from the classroom and training lab into the workforce.
For students entering the trades, that connection can be especially valuable. QTC’s relationships within Nevada’s contractor and skilled-trades community can help graduates identify opportunities with companies seeking technicians in HVAC, refrigeration and related fields. By combining hands-on instruction, industry certifications and job placement assistance, QTC is focused not simply on helping students complete a program, but on preparing them to pursue careers in Nevada’s skilled-trades workforce.
Chris Roth Returns to QTC
Following the campus tour, Just Now News sat down with Roth to discuss his return and the future of Quality Training Centers.
Roth’s connection to QTC began when he was only 19 years old, when he joined the school as an instructor. More than three decades later, he has returned as co-owner and operator, bringing a career that combines contracting, education and business back to where an important part of his teaching journey started.
Roth entered the trades at 15 after transferring to a vocational high school. His HVAC teacher became his mentor and helped shape the direction of his career.
He later spent 13 years helping develop the Air Conditioning Technology program at the College of Southern Nevada, serving as an instructor and department chair while continuing to work in the contracting industry.
Over the following decades, Roth built contracting businesses and remained closely involved in trade education. His return to QTC now brings that experience back to the school where he once stood in front of students as a young instructor.
QTC Strengthens Its Leadership
The school’s growth also includes Kodi Wilson, who has joined QTC as Program Director. Wilson began his career in plumbing at 17 and brings more than a decade of field and trade-school leadership experience.
“Kodi brings a rare combination of hands-on trade expertise and proven campus leadership,” Roth said.
Dallas Eddington also brings another contractor perspective to QTC. His background includes HVAC, safety management and residential and new-construction installation work throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
Together, the leadership additions reinforce the philosophy seen throughout the campus: people who understand the trades help prepare the next generation entering them.
Quality Training Centers Expands Its Las Vegas Campus
QTC is also increasing its physical footprint. The school recently acquired the building next door and is adding classroom space to support continued growth.
Founded in 1994, Quality Training Centers has spent more than three decades training people for careers in the skilled trades. Its current facility includes approximately 16,000 square feet of classrooms and labs with working heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
The Just Now News tour showed how QTC has translated its contractor-driven philosophy into the campus itself. Students train on real equipment, work through realistic problems and learn in spaces designed around the jobs they hope to perform.
For Roth, the expansion also closes a remarkable circle. He first arrived at QTC as a 19-year-old instructor. More than three decades later, he has returned as co-owner and operator, helping guide Quality Training Centers Las Vegas into its next chapter.
QUALITY TRAINING CENTERS (QTC)
3139 Westwood Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: (702) 597-0861
Programs: HVAC • Electrical • Refrigeration • EPA Certification • NATE Testing • Custom Contractor Training
Interested in enrolling or touring the campus?
Prospective students can call QTC directly for information about programs, enrollment, financing options, class schedules or to arrange a campus tour. QTC also offers an online tour-scheduling option.
Quality Training Centers Official Website
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