Program builds skilled talent pipeline to support increasingly complex, energy intensive environments
Parsippany, NJ, Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), a national leader in specialized automotive and skilled trades career training, today announced the most recent class of graduates from the Johnson Controls (JCI) Academy included the program’s 500th graduate. This marks a significant milestone in developing the skilled workforce needed to support mission‑critical environments across the United States. Johnson Controls established the JCI Academy at Lincoln Tech’s Columbia, Maryland campus in 2022 to focus on training security and fire alarm installation and service technicians. A second location opened at Lincoln’s Denver campus in 2024.
The Academy builds on a broader partnership between Johnson Controls and Lincoln Tech that began in 2018 to train electricians, electronic service technicians and HVAC-R technicians at Lincoln Tech schools nationwide. Students who complete the program transition directly into full-time roles with Johnson Controls. To date, more than 500 participants have been trained across the HVAC-R, Data Center, Fire, and Security career fields.
“When we first partnered with Johnson Controls eight years ago, we were fully committed to assisting them in building their workforce any way we could,” says Scott Shaw, Lincoln Tech’s President and CEO. “Launching the JCI Academy was a major part of that commitment, helping to set students on
pathways to careers that align with market needs. Knowing that we’ve now surpassed 500 graduates from the highly specialized Johnson Controls Academy program is a proud moment for our campuses and for all of the people working to making this partnership as successful as it has been.”
“Demand for skilled talent continues to grow alongside the increasing complexity of the environments our customers operate,” said Alison Neuman, Program Manager, Workforce Development, Johnson Controls. “Through our partnership with Lincoln Tech, we’re building the skilled workforce that will deliver the mission-critical environments and thermal management solutions powering society’s most important industries.”
“This program is crucial to help aspiring future technicians or inspectors develop their skillset,” says Donnell Talley, who graduated from the JCI Academy at Columbia in March. Talley now works for Johnson Controls as a Fire Service Technician in New York. “I can’t recommend or sing the praises of the Academy enough.”
The JCI Academy is a six-week advanced training program that focuses on security installation and fire services systems, providing a pathway to employment at JCI locations throughout the United States. JCI covers tuition, housing and relocation expenses for students in an effort to continue bridging the skills gap in the building technology field. A third JCI Academy site is slated to open later this year at Lincoln Tech’s Indianapolis campus.
###
About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in four principal areas of study: transportation, healthcare, skilled trades, and information technology. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946.
Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 12 states under 3 brands: Lincoln College of Technology, Lincoln Technical Institute, and Nashville Auto-Diesel College.
For more information, go to lincolntech.edu.
Scott Watkins, VP Marketing Lincoln Tech 973.766.9656 [email protected]
