FORUMBattle cry for licensed plumbers

FORUM
Battle cry for licensed plumbers
Actions were taken against unlicensed plumbers in
New York City.
BY MIKE BERGEN
S
PECIAL TO
CONTRACTOR
(Editor’s note The author of the following
article contacted CONTRACTOR after read-
ing the letter, Some technical schools cheat
our industry by Miguel Barretto of Mike’s
Refrigeration on pg. 35 of the April issue.)
T
HE PROBLEM OF recruiting and training people to work on equipment that is getting more sophisticated has got to be the greatest challenge facing the industry.
The job of training falls mainly on secondary schools — vo-techs and community colleges.
These programs are meant to produce entry-level people with good,
solid, basic skills. But isn’t the expectation of most employers and students is that the person graduates from one of these programs on a Friday and gets the keys to the service van on the following Monday?
Let’s assume that the goals of avo- tech and community college HVAC
program are essentially the same. (Am I
already in trouble) Can most people agree that basic, entry-level skill means that the new employees can deal safely with line voltage and high-pressure refrigerant?
We hope they arrive with their EPA
certification to recover, evacuate and charge a system along with the skill to connect all the pipe and wires. Can we also hope they can properly startup the equipment Most programs would say that graduating students should be able to do this and also troubleshoot and repair the system. Right Well this is where I seethe problem.
Most people in this industry begin with installation. Very few have all the skills required to also perform unassisted service and trouble-shooting,
much less have training in blueprint reading or ductwork sizing. Perhaps the curricula should be expanded.
An ocean runs deep
Expanding these program goals,
however, might add to what maybe the main problem of most HVAC train-
The Catch 22’ in training in our industry
Turn to Catch 22, page 86