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Getting through the endless paperwork and meetings to set up a new apprenticeship program is challenging enough. For air balancing technicians, there’s a second hurdle: explaining exactly what an air balancing technician is.

鈥淚t’s been a little tough to get the word out as far as the career goes, as far as the profession goes,鈥� said Mike May, vice president of Beaverton-based Accurate Balancing Agency.

Formally called testing, adjusting and balancing, or TAB, technicians, they make sure heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems run properly. They take measurements, run checks and make small adjustments.

The field includes only a dozen or so Oregon companies, but it now has its own formal apprenticeship program. It’s the first program in Oregon and probably the first in the nation, said Cindy Regier, apprenticeship director with the Associated Builders and Contractors Pacific Northwest Chapter, which administers the program.

The apprenticeship program is geared toward third-party TAB technicians who act as independent agents on projects. Increasingly, Regier said, more project contracts require third-party verification of energy efficiency to meet green-building requirements.

鈥淚t started with the desire to have systems work how they’re supposed to work,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen it grew as we changed our attitudes about energy and cost.鈥�

The program had some barriers. First, supporters of the new apprenticeship standards had to that their field was unique. Sheet metal apprentices already get some training in air balancing.

They convinced the Oregon State Apprenticeship and Training Council that TAB technicians need to be independent from installers. 鈥淚’m a believer that any training program has the potential to be an apprenticeship,鈥� council member Bob Ferguson said. 鈥淎nd the training is specific to that particular trade.鈥�

Committee members did shoot down some of the original proposals, however, including one that would have allowed a greater ratio of apprentices to journeymen, and another that would have allowed apprentices to work independently near the end of their programs.

Joe Helm, president of Northwest Engineering Services, said the apprenticeship program will raise the profession’s profile. Without a formalized training system in place, rogue technicians can lower wages and quality of work.

鈥淲hen there are forces trying to drive down costs, you look for cheaper labor,鈥� Helm said. 鈥淧retty soon, you have people working for minimum wage on jobs they’re not trained for and don’t have experience in.鈥�

The new apprenticeship program requires three years of classes and 6,000 training hours. Five companies initially signed on as training agents, with more to follow, said ABC chapter President John Killin.

The classes are held in coordination with Portland Community College. Eventually, Regier said, the program could also tie in with an associate’s degree.

In the meantime, the apprenticeship training will provide a formalized way to bring qualified workers to a growing field, said Denny Whitzel, president of Pacific Coast Air Balancing in Newberg.

Public-sector jobs increasingly require third-party testing of air systems, Whitzel said. And commercial projects seeking LEED designations from the U.S. Green Building Council also require independent verification.

The apprenticeship program will cause the quality of TAB technicians to rise along with their numbers, Whitzel said. 鈥淚t’s a very stringent program overseen by the state, and that’s wonderful,鈥� he said.

Now the companies just need to spread the word about exactly what their profession entails, he said. 鈥淭he general public, to this day, does not have a clue what we do.鈥�