School for Air Conditioning and Heating Centreville MS

How to Select the Right HVAC School near Centreville Mississippi

air conditioner condensers in Centreville MS Once you have made a decision on a career as a heating and air conditioner technician, the next step is to choose an HVAC vocational school near Centreville MS. But with so many to pick from, how do you choose the right one to receive the training that you require? Many prospective students will make their choice based exclusively on the cost of tuition or how near the school is to their home. While these are important considerations, they are not the only ones to investigate. Some of the other details that you need to research are the graduation completion rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. Those and additional criteria will be covered in more detail later within this article. But before we tackle how to choose an HVAC training program, let’s look at what a heating and air conditioning contractor does to become a licensed professional tradesman.

Becoming an HVAC Specialist

Centreville MS HVAC Tech installing water heater HVAC is an acronym that is commonly used in the industry that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC professionals provide services for the installation, maintenance and repair of air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, water heaters and heating systems. As skilled tradesmen, they are typically required to be licensed, though each state and regional municipality has its own prerequisites. Attaining professional certification is not required, but an optional way for Centreville MS HVAC technicians to prove that they are exceptionally skilled and experienced in their area of specialization. There are multiple respected certifications within the trade that are offered. Below are some of the significant ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally acknowledged certification for HVAC techs. The certification is earned by passing a proficiency exam and may be acquired in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification makes available both a professional and a master specialist credential. 2 years of field experience together with passing a comprehensive exam are required for the professional level certification. Master specialists need to have three years of experience together with a passing score on the professional level exam. Similar to NATE, certifications are made available in multiple specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is necessary for techs that handle refrigerants. There are 3 forms of certification available, one for small appliances, and the other two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Since licensing might be required in your location, and you may also desire to acquire certification, it’s essential that you enroll in an HVAC vocational school that will train you for both. And since you will most likely be handling refrigerants, make certain that the school you select preps you for passing the EPA Section 608 exams.

HVAC Degree and Certificate Courses

radiator heater in Centreville MS home There are a number of options available for HVAC instruction in a trade or technical school. You can obtain a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Acquiring a certificate will take the minimum amount of time, typically achieved in as little as six months, however some programs are longer. A certificate will qualify you for the majority of HVAC positions, particularly if you are licensed and have certification applicable to the position. The degree programs may provide a competitive edge in the job market and will provide more in-depth training than the certificate programs. Below is a short explanation of each option offered near Centreville MS.

Certificate. Usually requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are very popular among beginning residential or commercial HVAC professionals. They provide a solid foundation of skills for employment within the trade.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program provides a more exhaustive understanding of heating and cooling systems than the certificate program. Typically requiring 2 years to finish, a number of degrees include an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is geared more towards a career in management as well as 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 air conditioning systems, you will also study how to design them.

Picking the right credential program will be based on what your future career objectives are, in addition to the time and financial resources that you have to commit. One possibility is to begin with a certificate or even an Associate Degree program, and after gaining some experience in the field in Centreville MS, later going back to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your tactic, make sure to ask the HVAC technician school you are looking at about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Online Classes

Centreville MS student attending HVAC school online Attending an HVAC school online is one alternative to getting your training and receiving a degree or certificate. Almost all schools will require some attendance on campus to complete hands on training. Many also provide internship or work-study programs in addition to or in place of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes can be participated in on the web, this option may be a more accessible solution for some Centreville MS students that are short on time. And some online degree programs are cheaper than other traditional alternatives. Even driving expenses from Centreville and study supplies can be minimized, helping to make schooling more economical. And many online schools are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your job or family obligations have left you with minimal time to attend classes, perhaps an online HVAC degree program will make it easier to fit school into your hectic schedule.

Questions For HVAC Certification Courses

Questions to ask Centreville MS HVAC training schools After you have selected the type of certificate or degree that you want to acquire, either online or on campus, you can begin to narrow down your selection of schools. As you are certainly aware, there are a large number of HVAC trade schools in the Centreville MS area and throughout the USA to choose from. That’s why it is imperative to have a checklist of key qualifications when making school comparisons. As earlier mentioned in our opening paragraph, tuition and location will undoubtedly be the first two factors you will look at. Following are several additional ones that you need to investigate before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. A large number of HVAC technical programs in the Centreville MS area have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as HVAC technology. Confirm that the program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you get a quality education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, many states require that the HVAC training course be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the Heating and Cooling schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A lower completion rate could suggest that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Centreville MS HVAC employers to assist graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many HVAC trade programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of Heating and Cooling contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with local Centreville MS HVAC specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the HVAC technician you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Centreville MS HVAC company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Centreville MS residence. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Talk to a few of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to a few of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Centreville MS, check that the programs you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering an HVAC School near Centreville MS?

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

Centreville, Mississippi

Centreville is located at 31°5′9″N 91°3′54″W / 31.08583°N 91.06500°W / 31.08583; -91.06500 (31.085909, -91.064922).[4] The town is mostly within Wilkinson County with a portion in adjacent Amite County. In the 2000 census, 1,433 of the town's 1,680 residents (85.3%) lived in Wilkinson County and 247 (14.7%) in Amite County.[5]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 1,680 people, 605 households, and 413 families residing in the town. The population density was 725.5 people per square mile (279.6/km²). There were 704 housing units at an average density of 304.0 per square mile (117.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.44% African American, 32.44% White, 0.06% Native American, and 0.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population.

There were 605 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples living together, 29.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.28.

School for Air Conditioning and Heating Centreville MS

Picking the ideal HVAC school course is an important beginning toward a fulfilling career in the heating and air conditioning trade. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding School for Air Conditioning and Heating. However, as we have covered in this article, you should select an HVAC vocational school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have exceptional reputations within the HVAC community. Other things to search for are ample hands-on training and modern facilities. You need to visit each of the schools personally that you are most interested in to explore the campus and speak with both the faculty and current students. Attempt to get a feel for the quality of the teaching and the interaction between them. Also, 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 proper questions as we have laid out in our checklist for assessing schools, you’ll be able to filter your options so that you can make an informed decision. With the right training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC professional in Centreville MS.