Las Vegas-area high school students get HVAC experience through CSN program

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Choosing the right career path can be a tough decision, especially for high school students.

A program with the College of Southern Nevada at Western High School is giving students a head start into a hot job market right after graduation.

The College of Southern Nevada’s Air Conditioning Center of Excellence gives students hands-on experience learning the ins and outs of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry. The program is just one of more than 20 career technical education pathways that CSN offers giving students college credits in high school.

The air conditioning program lets students go from high school to an HVAC job after graduation.

“They’re hand selecting them days before they graduate high school with these really cool jobs, starting pay around $48,000,” Dr. James McCoy, the Vice President of Academic Affairs at CSN explained.

The program is just steps away from Jade Perez’s high school. She was one of the only girls in the program and is leading the way for others.

“Learning air conditioning isn’t just something a man can do,” she explained. She expects to graduate in May of 2025.

Perez shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a job with HVAC jobs everywhere with a shortage of workers across southern Nevada. The field is expected to grow by 9 percent in the next ten years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It’s a career path for students looking to get a jump start in their careers in the trades.

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