Nexstar and SkillCat Expand Partnership to Deliver Scalable Trades Training

BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota — Nexstar Network has expanded its partnership with SkillCat to accelerate the development of scalable and affordable technical training across HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades. According to the announcement, the collaboration integrates Nexstar’s NexTech Academy curriculum with SkillCat’s mobile-first workforce development platform to broaden access to training and support long-term industry workforce growth.

SkillCat will lead future development of the NexTech Academy platform, while Nexstar continues to focus on business, leadership, and frontline coaching for its membership. Nexstar stated that the partnership is designed to reduce barriers to entry, improve upskilling opportunities, and introduce more people to careers in the skilled trades.

Nexstar members with a NexTech subscription will continue to access the full technical training platform during the transition. The organization said members will also gain new benefits delivered through SkillCat, including access to more than 300,000 active job seekers, mobile-based certifications such as EPA 608/609, NATE, and OSHA-10/30, more than 500 additional hours of technical content, custom learning plans, and on-demand troubleshooting resources.

Julian Scadden, President and CEO of Nexstar Network, said the collaboration strengthens training pathways for workers at all career stages. Ruchir Shah, CEO and Founder of SkillCat, noted that the expanded partnership supports SkillCat’s mission to help a million people build careers in the trades.

Nexstar estimates that by mid-2026, NexTech Academy and SkillCat will complete the integration of Nexstar’s training content with SkillCat’s delivery model. Nexstar’s proprietary coaching and events outside of NexTech will continue to be available exclusively to members.

Note: This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.