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August 25, 2025
How Trane Technologies’ Graduate Training Program Creates Global Industry Leaders
Through a mix of technical development, real-world application and shared purpose, Trane Technologies’ Graduate Training Program is launching the next generation of engineering sales leaders.
What happens when you combine ambitious graduates, cutting-edge HVAC technology and a company that's reshaping how the world uses energy? You get one of the most comprehensive and prestigious training programs in the HVAC industry, careers that make a difference and graduates who go on to excel personally and professionally.
You've spent four years mastering thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and engineering principles. You've aced your finals, walked across that stage, and landed your first job. Then reality hits: the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world application can feel impossibly wide.
"When you graduate, you’ve had four or five years of studying. Then you get to the field, and you feel like you don't really know a ton," admits Madison Smith, who joined Trane Technologies’ Graduate Training Program (GTP) after completing her biomedical engineering degree in Canada. "The ability to come to a program that's able to train you and ramp you up is really helpful.
Championing Talent, Leadership and Legacy Through Trane Technologies’ Graduate Training Program
I’m Kris Gagermeier and I’m the leader for the Technical Training Center of Excellence. Welcome to our brand new La Crosse Advanced Technology Training Center. We're very proud that within this building we have a living laboratory for all of our visitors. This includes our graduate training program for our early career account managers. This program is nearly 100 years old now. We recruit the best of the best, put them through the most comprehensive training program, and send them out to serve customers. I signed up for the graduate training program because it's just such a great opportunity that other companies in our industry don't have. So, I say one of the best aspects of the graduate training program is getting to know the other people. We all get put in the same space and we're all in this together. It's a really great learning environment. Everybody is so supportive. The community of the students that are here are awesome, and our instructors are always doors open for us to come in and ask questions at any time. When you graduate, you think that you know a lot and then you get to industry abilities that you don't. So, it's really helpful if you can find a company that's willing to invest in your education upfront because there is a huge learning curve. Developing talent and capability is in our DNA, but if I think about leaders, vice presidents and presidents, not only within Trane Commercial, all of those leaders were developed right here in the graduate training program. As people, it's our duty to make the world a better place for tomorrow, and Trane Technologies does that by boldly challenging what we do. I think we're setting a new precedent for the industry and beyond the HVAC industry. We're setting a new standard for what companies should be doing for the world. Today is the best version of Trane and Trane Commercial that I've ever experienced in my 26 year career. In terms of the talent we brought in the organization, in terms of how that talent works together, in terms of how we're aligned to achieve sustainability goals that we've never achieved before.
A world-renowned program to catapult careers
Trane Technologies knows there’s often a university-to-industry gap, which is why it designed its world-class five-month immersive program that provides recent graduates with comprehensive technical, business, sales engineering and leadership training. With more than 8,700 graduates to date, this industry-respected program is set in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin, a town renowned for being a vibrant educational hub.
"I signed up for the graduate training program because it's just such a great opportunity that other companies in our industry don't have," explains Noah Hernandez from Trane Technologies’ new systems division. "We're really well-equipped when we get into the field.".
Building more than technical skills
The Graduate Training Program (GTP) was started in 1926 by Reuben Trane to train engineers and sales personnel on how to sell and apply new HVAC technologies. Today, it offers three distinct pathways, each designed for different career trajectories:
Technical Sales GTP: Perfect for engineers who want to combine technical expertise with client relationships and business impact
Energy Engineer GTP: For those passionate about energy audits, conservation measures and working with the world's leading energy experts
Contracting Project Management GTP: Designed to build technical project management skills and creative problem-solving abilities.
But the program goes beyond the deeply technical, helping nurture participants as complete professionals. “The program as a whole is there to develop you as a person entirely. We've focused on things like time management, presentation skills, and just knowing yourself and what you can improve on. We've also taken tests to gauge the type of learner you are, what your strengths are and where you need help,” explains Noah.
That kind of self-awareness and skill-building forms the foundation of Trane Technologies’ holistic approach, shaping engineers into leaders who can communicate complex technical concepts with confidence, build lasting client relationships and drive a meaningful impact for our customers and our planet.
For Carter Bloomquist, those lessons are already taking root. "I'm excited to bring my technical knowledge back home, but also the knowledge I've learned about building relationships and about just my personal self as well," says Carter Bloomquist, who's preparing for his role as a systems account manager in Twin Cities, Minnesota.
Encouraging curiosity and community
The GTP is expertly designed and honed year after year to maximize learning efficiency and classroom camaraderie, building both technical knowledge and lasting professional relationships. "They've done a flipped classroom, where we learn lectures online and then come in person to practice together," Madison explains. "It's been a really awesome experience so far."
Perhaps the most unexpected benefit? The people. "It's one of the greatest decisions you could ever make. You learn so much and you make such great friends. Also, everyone's coming from different places... just a ton of cultures coming together and hanging out," Carter shares.
The student community here is awesome and our instructors’ doors always open for us to come in and ask questions at any time.
Madison Smith
Trane Technologies’ Graduate Training Program participant
While in the program, each participant is paired with a dedicated mentor on staff, offering intensive, personalized guidance from industry veterans who are just as invested in your success as you are. "Our mentors are a source for us to go and say where we're struggling, if we need help or what we can improve on," says Noah.
Graduate Training Program participants tour Trane Technologies operations to learn more about the manufacturing process.
The difference is in making a difference
Beyond connections and personal and professional development, our GTP students are excited for their work to have global impact. Madison, who studied biomedical engineering before pivoting to HVAC, now sees her role in a bigger context. “I’m really interested in AI and how that's going to make buildings more sustainable.”
HVAC systems make up a third of the world's energy usage. Everything I’ve learned so far shows me just how much impact I can make. I think that's really inspiring.
Noah Hernandez
Trane Technologies’ Graduate Training Program participant
This is a sentiment echoed by Carter, "As people, it's our duty to make the world a better place for tomorrow," Carter reflects. "We're setting a new standard for what companies should be doing for the world."
Your meaningful career starts here
Whether you'll be working with healthcare clients, supporting engineers or partnering with sustainability-focused contractors, at Trane Technologies, you're joining a mission that extends far beyond engineering. That’s because we’re not just optimizing systems; we’re reshaping how the world uses energy. Ready to turn your engineering degree into a career with global impact?
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