Every home and business require Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and refrigeration equipment. The HVAC industry offers a wide variety of careers from installer to business owner to keep systems up and running. Franklin Tech offers HVAC to train students to enter this field as a beginning apprentice service technician or an equipment installer or have a good start on furthering their education in college. The Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration program includes classroom and shop instruction in the principles of air conditioning and refrigeration that apply to commercial and residential systems. Students will become acquainted with the overall industry and learn the latest employability skills.
What will I learn?
Our program covers the latest topics including:
• Electricity for air conditioning, heating & refrigeration
• Refrigeration principals and practices
• EPA Standards for refrigerator handling
• Test equipment
• Residential/light commercial systems
• Refrigeration systems
• Customer relation skills
• Troubleshooting: heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems
• Heat pumps
• Safety techniques
Employment Opportunities
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the job outlook for the HVAC field should grow by 14%, a faster than average growth. The 2015 average pay ranged from an annual salary of $27,700 to $71,690.
Certifications
Students completing the HVAC program may earn two industry certifications including EPA 608 and OSHA 10. They will also test for the HVAC Excellence certificate. All of these are at no cost to the student.
Student Benefits
FREE Training
High School students completing a program at FTC receive FREE tuition and training materials. Students also take their program certification test at no cost to them.
Embedded Credit
Students completing a program at FTC have the opportunity to earn academic credits along with their program training. Students in Joplin High School, Sarcoxie High School, and Webb City High school participate in the embedded credit option. In HVAC a student can earn a full credit for Technical Math and Applied Communications upon completion of the two-year program and successful completion of assignments for the embedded credit courses. Students earn a grade in the courses and they are transcripted.
Membership in a Student Organization
Going a step further in rounding out their education, FTC students are encouraged to join a national student organization, SkillsUSA. The members of this organization practice teamwork, leadership and problem-solving. Members have an opportunity to hold office and participate in local, district, state, and national contests.
Internship Opportunities
In their last semester of the program, successful students have the option to participate in an on-the-job training experience. Students may seek an HVAC internship with a local employer. An agreement is signed by FTC, the employer, the student, and the parents. Students work up to four days a week and attend Franklin Tech during the assigned time. This is a great way for students to gain actual experience, and in many cases the intern-ship is a paid internship. The internship can possibly lead to a full-time job or job references for future positions.