We need trained HVAC employees
HVAC instructor Matthew Castorena (left) and student Nathan O'Neill utilize a classroom training skid that simulates HVAC problems.
It's a sentiment long echoed by many businesses in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Industry leaders like Tim Braun at R&H Mechanical wanted to develop a solution. "We had our own internal training program," Tim explains, "but I thought having an established curriculum with national credentials was a better opportunity for our people."
Tim took his idea to Colorado Mountain College and together they worked to launch a formal, accredited HVAC training program adopting the industry standards of the NCCER (National Center for Construction Education & Research).
"So now, not only our people at R&H, but anybody who signs up with CMC, is welcome to join," Tim emphasizes.
CMC offers HVAC Basic and Advanced certificates. Together, they include a Core class, Levels 1-4, and an internship.
Tim explains, "when a student completes a level and their performance evaluations, they are compensated accordingly. So the more diversified someone's skillset, the more value they bring to the team and the more money they can make."
Student Nathan O'Neill is finishing his final semester in the program this May. He had already been working in the industry at R&H for 8 years, but was looking to broaden his knowledge and increase his opportunities by earning the CMC HVAC certificates.
Nathan says, "This program allowed me to get the bigger picture, to understand the whole process."
"One person might be an expert in refrigeration, but weak in boilers," he says. "Or strong with sheet metal skills but lacking in hydraulics controls." The coursework systematically presents every facet of HVAC and gives students hands-on exposure to every area.
Matthew Castorena is the service manager in the Basalt office of R&H. He brings his real-world knowledge to the program as the Level III instructor. His classes focus on troubleshooting all types of HVAC equipment.
Matthew says, "Most, but not all, of the students in my class are actively working every day so they get to apply it every day. They’re bringing stories from the field and it's very interactive."
The program is geared to supporting working individuals, with classes held in the evenings, after work. Some students will have already found work in the HVAC field, and their employer possibly will pay for training. But students also come to the program from different work fields, or even right out of high school.
Tim says the HVAC career path is a wise choice. "The training is a fraction of the cost of a traditional college. The industry pays really well for talent. And if someone is good with their hands and good with people, they do very well for themselves and their family while making a livable wage here in the mountains of Colorado."