HVAC Service Technician Schools Ault CO

How to Pick the Right HVAC Training Class near Ault Colorado

air conditioner condensers in Ault CO Now that you have decided on a career as a heating and air conditioning specialist, the next step is to find an HVAC technical school near Ault CO. But with so many to select from, how do you select the best one to obtain the training that you require? A number of future students will make their selection based solely on the price of tuition or how close the school is to their home. Although these are important considerations, they are not the only ones to take into account. Some of the other things that you need to investigate are the graduation rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. These and other benchmarks will be addressed in more detail later within this article. But before we discuss how to select an HVAC trade school, let’s look at what a heating and cooling contractor does to become a licensed professional tradesman.

How to Become an HVAC Specialist

Ault CO HVAC Tech installing water heater HVAC is an acronym that is extensively used in the industry that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC technicians provide services for the installation, maintenance and repair of central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, water heaters and heating systems. As skilled tradesmen, they are commonly required to be licensed, although each state and regional municipality has its own criteria. Attaining professional certification is not mandatory, but an optional means for Ault CO HVAC technicians to establish that they are exceptionally skilled and accomplished in their area of specialization. There are many recognized certifications within the trade that are available. Following are some of the significant ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally recognized certification for HVAC techs. The certification is achieved by passing a competency exam and can be acquired in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification makes available both a professional and a master specialist credential. Two years of field experience in addition to passing a comprehensive examination are needed for the professional level certification. Master specialists must have three years of experience as well as a passing result on the professional level examination. As with NATE, certifications are made available in various specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is mandatory for specialists that work with refrigerants. There are 3 types of certification obtainable, one for small appliances, and the other two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Considering that licensing could be mandated in your area, and you may also intend to acquire certification, it’s important that you select an HVAC trade school that will train you for both. And since you will probably be dealing with refrigerants, make sure that the program you choose prepares you for passing the EPA Section 608 examinations.

HVAC Degree Schools

radiator heater in Ault CO home There are several alternatives offered for HVAC training in a technical or trade school. You can attain a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Obtaining a certificate will take the minimum amount of time, typically achieved in as little as 6 months, though some courses are longer. A certificate will train you for the majority of HVAC positions, especially if you are licensed and have certification relevant to the position. The degree programs might provide a competitive advantage in the job market and will provide more extensive training than the certificate programs. Below is a short explanation of each option offered near Ault CO.

Certificate. Generally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are preferred among entry level commercial or residential HVAC professionals. They provide a strong foundation of skills for job opportunities within the industry.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program supplies a more comprehensive background of heating and cooling systems than the certificate program. Usually requiring 2 years to complete, some degrees incorporate an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is tailored more towards a career in management or even business ownership. Some programs call for an Associate Degree, while others are a standard 4 year program. In addition to learning how to service and maintain heating and cooling systems, you will also learn how to design them.

Picking the appropriate credential program will be dependent on what your future career aspirations are, as well as the time and money that you have to commit. One approach is to start with a certificate or perhaps an Associate Degree program, and after gaining some experience in the field in Ault CO, eventually going back to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your strategy, be sure to ask the HVAC technician school you are considering about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Online Schools

Ault CO student attending HVAC school online Attending an HVAC program online is one approach to obtaining your education and receiving a certificate or degree. Almost all schools will require some attendance on campus to complete hands on training. Some also provide internship or work-study programs in addition to or instead of practical lab work. But since the remainder of the classes can be participated in on the web, this approach may be a more convenient solution for some Ault CO students that are pressed for time. And some online degree programs are more economical than other traditional options. Even commuting expenses from Ault and study supplies may be lessened, helping to make education more affordable. And many online programs are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your work or family commitments have left you with limited time to attend classes, maybe an HVAC online training program will make it less complicated to accommodate school into your busy schedule.

Questions to Ask HVAC Training Programs

Questions to ask Ault CO HVAC training schools Once you have chosen the type of certificate or degree that you desire to attain, either online or on campus, you can start to decrease your list of schools. As you are certainly aware, there are a large number of HVAC vocational schools in the Ault CO area and all over the Country to select from. That’s why it is essential to have a checklist of key qualifiers when making school comparisons. As previously mentioned in our opening paragraph, tuition and location will most likely be the first 2 variables you will take into consideration. Following are several additional ones that you will want to explore before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Numerous HVAC trade schools in the Ault CO area have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance HVAC technology. Verify that the school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, some states require that the HVAC training program be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the HVAC schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate may suggest that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It could also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which can mean more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Ault CO HVAC employers to assist graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most HVAC technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of HVAC contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with local Ault CO HVAC professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the HVAC specialist you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Ault CO HVAC company if they can provide some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Ault CO residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Speak to a few of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Ault CO, check that the programs you are reviewing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering an HVAC School near Ault CO?

Perhaps you are considering enrolling in an HVAC training program in the Ault Colorado area. If so, you may find the following background information about the location of your new school campus both interesting and informative.

Ault, Colorado

First called High Land, the town's name was changed to Burgdorff Siding, sometimes called Bergdorf Switch (after a railroad worker who had been killed in an accident), before it acquired its current name in 1897. The town was named after Alexander Ault, a Fort Collins, Colorado resident and owner of a flour mill. Mr. Ault had helped to avert financial disaster to the agricultural base by purchasing the entire grain harvest during a year of severe economic hardship. The town was incorporated in 1904.

Much of the residential area of the town, as well as surrounding farmland, is on land given by the United States government to the Union Pacific Railroad, to be sold to finance railroad construction. A north-south segment of the railroad connecting Denver, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, passes through the town, parallel to U.S. Highway 85. On February 21, 1910, Rabbi I. Idleson of Denver, Colorado, purchased 640 acres (2.6 km2) for farming purposes near Ault, proposing "to employ Jewish farmers and devote land to practical philanthropy".[8] Little came of this venture, and within a few decades there were apparently no Jewish residents in the town.

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 1,432 people, 540 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,123.7 people per square mile (825.2/km²). There were 560 housing units at an average density of 830.5 per square mile (322.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.47% White, 0.07% African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 16.76% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.24% of the population.

Picking the ideal HVAC school course is a crucial beginning toward a fulfilling career in the heating and cooling field. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding HVAC Service Technician Schools. However, as we have covered in this article, you need to choose an Heating and Cooling technical school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have exceptional reputations within the HVAC community. Other features to search for are lots of practical training and state-of-the-art facilities. You need to check out each of the schools personally that you are most interested in to explore the campus and talk with both the current students and faculty. Try to get a feel for the quality of the training and the interaction between them. In addition, ask about scheduling options and if evening or weekend classes are available if needed. And remember to inquire about financial assistance and student loan options too. If you ask the right questions as we have outlined in our checklist for evaluating schools, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices so that you can make an informed decision. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, you can eventually become a licensed HVAC professional in Ault CO.