HVAC Course Outline Duncansville PA

How to Choose the Right Heating and Cooling Degree Program near Duncansville Pennsylvania

air conditioner condensers in Duncansville PA Now that you have decided on a career as a heating and air conditioner specialist, the next step is to choose an HVAC trade school near Duncansville PA. But with so many to select from, how do you pick the best one to receive the training that you require? A number of prospective students will make their selection based solely on the cost of tuition or how near the school is to their home. While these are significant factors to consider, they are not the only ones to evaluate. Some of the other factors that you need to investigate are the graduation rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. Those and other benchmarks will be discussed in more detail later within this article. But before we discuss how to choose an HVAC technical school, let’s look at what a heating and cooling specialist does to become a licensed skilled tradesman.

How to Become an HVAC Tech

Duncansville PA HVAC Tech installing water heater HVAC is an acronym that is frequently used in the trade that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC contractors provide services for the installation, repair and maintenance of central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, hot water heaters and heating systems. As professional tradesmen, they are generally required to be licensed, however every state and regional municipality has its own criteria. Obtaining professional certification is not required, but an alternative means for Duncansville PA HVAC technicians to establish that they are exceptionally skilled and experienced in their area of specialization. There are multiple respected certifications within the field that are available. Following are a few of the important ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally acknowledged certification for HVAC technicians. The certification is attained 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 professional experience as well as passing a comprehensive examination are needed for the professional level certification. Master specialists need to have three years of experience along with a passing score on the professional level exam. Similar to NATE, certifications are offered in multiple specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is mandatory for techs that work with refrigerants. There are 3 types of certification available, one for small appliances, and the additional two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Because licensing might be required in your location, and you may also wish to earn certification, it’s important that you select an HVAC vocational school that will prepare you for both. And since you will most likely be handling refrigerants, make sure that the program you choose readies you for passing the EPA Section 608 examinations.

HVAC Certificate and Degree Schools

radiator heater in Duncansville PA home There are a number of options available for HVAC instruction in a vocational or trade school. You can attain a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Earning a certificate will take the least amount of time, often completed in just 6 months, though 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 might provide a competitive advantage for securing employment and will provide more extensive training than the certificate programs. Following is a brief explanation of each option offered near Duncansville PA.

Certificate. Normally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are very popular among beginning residential or commercial HVAC professionals. They provide a strong foundation of skills for employment within the industry.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program supplies a more detailed understanding of heating & cooling systems than the certificate program. Normally 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 suited more towards a career in management as well as business ownership. Some programs require an Associate Degree, while others are a standard four 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 ideal credential program will be based on what your future career goals are, in addition to the time and money that you have to commit. One possibility is to begin with a certificate or even an Associate Degree program, and after acquiring some experience in the field in Duncansville PA, later returning to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your tactic, make certain to ask the HVAC tech school you are considering about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Training Online

Duncansville PA student attending HVAC school online Enrolling in an HVAC school online is one alternative in obtaining your training and receiving a certificate or degree. Nearly all schools will call for some attendance on campus to complete hands on training. Many also offer internship or work-study programs in addition to or in place of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes can be attended online, this option may be a more accessible solution for some Duncansville PA students that are short on time. And a number of online degree programs are cheaper than other traditional alternatives. Even driving expenses from Duncansville and study supplies can be reduced, helping to make education more economical. And many online programs are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your work or family commitments have left you with little time to attend classes, maybe an online HVAC degree program will make it more convenient to accommodate school into your hectic schedule.

Questions to Ask HVAC Trade Schools

Questions to ask Duncansville PA HVAC training schools As soon as you have picked the type of certificate or degree that you desire to acquire, either online or on campus, you can begin to limit your list of schools. As you are certainly aware, there are numerous HVAC technical schools in the Duncansville PA area and across the United States to pick from. That’s why it is imperative to have a list of important qualifiers when making school evaluations. As formerly stated in our opening paragraph, tuition and location will undoubtedly be the first two aspects you will take into consideration. Following are some additional ones that you will want to research before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Numerous HVAC vocational programs in the Duncansville PA area have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for example HVAC technology. Verify that the program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states require that the HVAC training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the HVAC schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate could indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It could also indicate that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, which can produce more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Duncansville PA HVAC employers to help grads obtain apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many HVAC technical programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of Heating and Cooling contractors or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with local Duncansville PA HVAC specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the HVAC tech you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Duncansville PA HVAC company if they can provide some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Duncansville PA home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Talk to some of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with some of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Duncansville PA, confirm that the programs you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.

Considering an HVAC School near Duncansville PA?

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

Duncansville, Pennsylvania

Duncansville is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Duncansville is one of the communities that comprises the Altoona Urban Area. The population was 1,233 at the 2010 census.

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,238 people, 580 households, and 338 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,312.5 people per square mile (885.2/km²). There were 610 housing units at an average density of 1,139.4 per square mile (436.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.47% White, 0.48% African American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 580 households, out of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.84.

Enrolling in the right HVAC school course is a crucial first step toward a fulfilling career in the heating and air conditioning industry. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding HVAC Course Outline. However, as we have covered in this post, you need to pick an Heating and Cooling technical school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have exceptional reputations within the HVAC trade. Other factors to search for are plenty of hands-on 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 faculty and current students. Attempt to get a feel for the quality of the instruction and the interaction between them. Additionally, inquire about scheduling choices and whether night or weekend classes are offered if needed. And remember to inquire about financial aid and student loan options too. If you ask the proper questions as we have laid out in our checklist for evaluating schools, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices so that you can make an educated decision. With the appropriate training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC contractor in Duncansville PA.