Online HVAC Training Courses Elkland PA

How to Choose the Right HVAC Certificate Program near Elkland Pennsylvania

air conditioner condensers in Elkland PA Once you have come to a decision on a career as a heating and cooling specialist, the next action is to choose an HVAC vocational school near Elkland PA. But with so many to pick from, how do you choose the ideal one to get the training that you need? A number of prospective students will make their selection based entirely on the price of tuition or how near the school is to their home. While these are relevant considerations, they are not the only ones to investigate. Just some of the other things that you need to research are the graduation rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. Those and other criteria will be covered in more detail later in this article. But before we tackle how to choose an HVAC vocational school, let’s take a look at what a heating and air conditioning professional does to become a licensed skilled tradesman.

Becoming an HVAC Tech

Elkland PA HVAC Tech installing water heater HVAC is an acronym that is extensively used in the trade that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC technicians provide services for the installation, maintenance and repair of air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, hot water heaters and heating systems. As professional tradesmen, they are commonly mandated to be licensed, although every state and regional municipality has its own criteria. Earning professional certification is not mandatory, but an optional means for Elkland PA HVAC techs to demonstrate that they are highly proficient and knowledgeable in their area of expertise. There are multiple recognized certifications within the industry that are available. Following are some of the significant ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally acknowledged certification for HVAC technicians. The certification is attained by passing a competency exam and may be received in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification offers both a professional and a master specialist credential. Two years of professional experience together with passing a comprehensive exam are needed for the professional level certification. Master specialists need to have three years of experience as well as a passing score on the professional level examination. As with NATE, certifications are offered in several specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is required for technicians that handle refrigerants. There are three forms of certification available, one for small appliances, and the additional two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Because licensing might be mandated in your location, and you may also intend to acquire certification, it’s imperative that you pick an HVAC trade school that will prepare you for both. And since you will more than likely be working with refrigerants, make sure that the program you select prepares you for passing the EPA Section 608 examinations.

HVAC Certificate and Degree Courses

radiator heater in Elkland PA home There are a number of alternatives offered for HVAC instruction in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Obtaining a certificate will take the minimum period of time, typically achieved in as little as 6 months, although some courses are longer. A certificate will qualify you for most HVAC positions, especially if you are licensed and have certification applicable to the position. The degree training programs might provide a competitive edge for securing employment and will deliver more in-depth training than the certificate programs. Following is a brief description of each option offered near Elkland PA.

Certificate. Generally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are very popular among beginning residential or commercial HVAC professionals. They furnish a solid foundation of skills for employment within the trade.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program provides a more exhaustive knowledge of heating and a/c systems than the certificate program. Usually taking two years to complete, many degrees feature an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is geared more for 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 mastering how to service and maintain heating and air conditioning systems, you will also study how to design them.

Choosing the right credential program will be based on what your future career aspirations are, together with the time and financial resources that you have to invest. One option is to start with a certificate or even an Associate Degree program, and after getting some experience in the trade in Elkland PA, eventually going back to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your tactic, be sure to ask the HVAC tech school you are looking at about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Classes Online

Elkland PA student attending HVAC school online Choosing an HVAC school online is one alternative in obtaining your education and earning a certificate or degree. Most schools will require some attendance on campus to take part in hands on training. Some also offer internship or work-study programs in addition to or instead of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes can be attended on the web, this approach may be a more accessible solution for some Elkland PA students that are pressed for time. And some online degree programs are cheaper than other on campus options. Even travelling expenses from Elkland and study supplies may be lessened, helping to make education more budget-friendly. And a large number of online programs are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your career or family commitments have left you with limited time to attend classes, maybe an online HVAC degree program will make it easier to accommodate school into your active schedule.

Questions For HVAC Schools

Questions to ask Elkland PA HVAC training schools Once you have picked the type of degree or certificate that you want to obtain, either on campus or online, you can start to decrease your selection of schools. As you are certainly aware, there are many HVAC trade schools in the Elkland PA area and all over the USA to choose from. That’s why it is very important to have a list of key qualifiers when making school assessments. As previously mentioned in our opening paragraph, location and tuition will undoubtedly be the first two aspects you will look at. Following are several additional ones that you need to research before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Numerous HVAC technical schools in the Elkland PA area have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, such as HVAC technology. Make certain that the school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you get an excellent education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, some 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 looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A low completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It may also mean that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of graduates, which can produce more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Elkland PA HVAC employers to assist graduates acquire apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many HVAC training programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of HVAC contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have working partnerships with local Elkland PA HVAC specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the HVAC specialist you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Elkland PA HVAC contractor if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Elkland PA home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how large they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to a few of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Elkland PA, check that the programs you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering an HVAC School near Elkland PA?

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

Elkland, Pennsylvania

In 1814 the township of Elkland, was organized. Its territory, taken from Delmar Township, extended along the New York state line from the ninety-third to the one hundred and fourth mile-stone—a distance of eleven miles (18 km). It extended north and south a distance of ten miles (16 km) and embraced within its boundaries the present borough of Elkland and townships of Nelson, Osceola, all of Farmington, and parts of Lawrence, Deerfield, and Middlebury townships. In December 1816, a part of the township of Lawrence was taken from it, and in September 1822, another portion of its territory went to Middlebury township. In February 1830, the territory of the township of Farmington was taken from it. Those several reductions confined it to a narrow strip, about eight miles (13 km) long, from east to west, by two and three-fourths miles wide, from north to south. By an act of the legislature, approved April 10, 1849, its territory was still further reduced by the creation of the borough of Elkland, to which, from time to time, additions have been made. In January 1857, all that part of the township not embraced in Elkland borough limits, lying west of a line extending through the center of that borough, from north to south, was erected into the township of Osceola, and in December 1857, all lying east of the same line became the township of Nelson, and Elkland township passed out of existence. By the subsequent extension of the Elkland borough limits south of the Cowanesque river, the townships of Osceola and Nelson both suffered material reductions of area. There is still left, however, a narrow strip between the southern boundary of Elkland and the northern boundary Farmington township, the western half of which belongs to Osceola Township, and the eastern half to the township of Nelson. Some years ago a movement was afoot to annex this strip to Elkland borough and thus give it and Osceola and Nelson townships more symmetrical boundaries, but for some reason the annexation was not made.

A man named Baker Pierce, who died in 1815, and whose remains were buried in the old pioneer graveyard at Osceola, appears to have been the first settler within the boundaries of Elkland borough. Just when he settled or how long he remained cannot now be ascertained, but it must have been during the earlier years of the first decade of the present century. The next to settle was the Taylor family, who located at Barney Hill. The family consisted of Mrs. Permelia Taylor and her three sons, Ebenezer, Philip and Mitchell, who emigrated from the Delaware Water Gap, New Jersey, to the Wyoming valley, thence to Pipe Creek, below Owego, from which place, in 1806, they came to the Cowanesque valley. Ebenezer and Philip soon afterward removed to Osceola. The latter, his mother and his brother, Mitchell, all died before 1815, and were buried at Barney Hill. In 1882, their resting place being disturbed by the building of the Addison and Pennsylvania railroad, Capt. Charles R. Taylor and Charles Tubbs—descendants in the fourth generation of Mrs. Permelia Taylor—removed their remains to the cemetery at Osceola.

It appears that William Courtright acquired title to the land first bought and settled on by Philip Taylor, which, in 1814, he conveyed to Lintsford Coates. The Coates family came early, as early, so it has been stated, as 1806. In 1808, however, Timothy Coates Sr. acquired the title to 170 acres (0.69 km2) of land, situated between the lands of Cyprian Wright and those of Amasa Culver, and covered by warrant No. 233 within the limits of what is now Nelson borough, and later he and his son, Lintsford, bought land and became residents of Elkland. The exact year is, however, difficult to ascertain. Daniel Holiday was here previous to 1810, in which year his son, Daniel, now a resident of Holidaytown, Middlebury township, was born.

Finding the right HVAC training course is a critical beginning toward a gratifying career in the heating and cooling industry. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding Online HVAC Training Courses. However, as we have addressed in this post, you should pick an HVAC school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have excellent reputations within the HVAC trade. Other features to look for are ample hands-on training and modern facilities. You should check out each of the schools personally that you are most interested in to explore the campus and speak with both the current students and faculty. Attempt to get a feel for the quality of the teaching and the interaction between them. Additionally, ask about scheduling options and whether night or weekend classes are available if needed. And don’t forget to inquire about financial aid and student loan options also. If you ask the proper questions as we have detailed in our guidelines for assessing schools, you’ll be able to narrow down your options so that you can make an informed decision. With the appropriate training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC technician in Elkland PA.