I've been thinking a lot about training lately, and now I have a headache.

It seems as though most of my discussions with managers these days somehow come around to their desire to ensure their front-line technicians receive access to the training they need to keep facilities operating efficiently.

Inevitably in these discussions, managers refer to - in no particular order - to the dearth of trained workers entering maintenance, tightening budgets that often don't account for proper technician training, and the need to tackle the backlog of maintenance projects that bedevils so many organizations.

I hear what they're saying. It's tough enough to get organizations to provide funds for deferred maintenance, let alone secure funds needed to train new workers to actually do the work.

Now, the advance of technology is complicating the situation. Organizations are falling in love with technology advances that deliver a host of benefits, including increased energy efficiency and more comfortable indoor environments, to name just two of many.

But what too few organizations realize soon enough is that new technology, just like anything else installed in facilities, require ongoing maintenance of they are going to perform as intended.

That's where the issue of training comes in: Organizations that fail to provide up-front funding to train technicians on maintaining new technologies actually are creating deferred maintenance with each new installation.

As a result, managers are face a dual challenge: Tackle "old" deferred maintenance, and ensure that projects incorporating new technology come with funds to pay for training as a way to prevent "new" deferred maintenance.

Just thinking about how to tackle that challenge would give anyone a headache.