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Southwest HVAC News
Over 500 Pack
HVAC Excellence Educators Conference
Vocational technical training programs
have suffered deep cuts in federal, state and local funding.
However, this did not stop over 500 dedicated professionals from
attending HVAC Excellence’s Educators & Trainers Conference at the
South Point Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Facing tremendous funding cuts
for their programs, many of the attendees paid their own way to
attend the conference. They did so knowing that a program is only as
good as the instructor in front of the classroom. This is a
testament to the dedication of the educators we have in the HVACR
industry and their commitment towards making their students succeed.
The train-the-trainer boot camp
provided attendees nearly forty sessions and nearly 80 exhibits. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) a division of the United States
Department of Labor provides economic projections for over 700
occupations and 300 industries. During the HVAC Excellence
Conference, Mr. Richard Holden - Regional Commissioner for the BLS
provided attendees with the National Employment Outlook to the year
2020.
Mr. Holden discussed how the HVACR
industry will grow by 33.7% by 2020 while the growth for all
occupations in the United States is only expected to grow by 14.3%.
The HVACR industry will grow by nearly twenty percent more than all
other occupations in the United States. In addition, the BLS
projects that 31.2% of HVACR service personnel will retire and need
to be replaced by 2020.
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In summary by the year 2020, 65.6% of service
persons in the HVACR industry will be people that are not in the
industry today. Being that HVACR service and installation jobs
cannot be outsourced or automated, it means the HVACR industry
offers tremendous job opportunities for persons not yet entering
the workforce. This is great information to share with your
local high school guidance councilors!
Simple math tells us that the HVACR industry cannot
recruit and train the number of people needed by recruiting men
alone. Ms. Patti Ellingson, President of Women in HVACR (WHVACR)
provided a solution by addressing the importance of all of us
working to recruit females into our industry. While women are half
of the U.S. population, they consist of 0.7% of our industry. WHVACR
is an organization of men and women that empower women to succeed
through networking opportunities, mentoring programs and education.
Learn more at www.womeninhvac.org Mr. Steven H. Allen (LEED AP)
Executive Director of the Green Mechanical Council (www.greenmech.
org) discussed the elements necessary for training technicians in
sustainable technologies. He addressed the need to change the
baseline knowledge of the persons entering our industry to
understand concepts and terminology related to sustainable HVACR,
sustainable mechanical systems, electrical, energy efficiency
concepts, energy management and alternative energy systems.
Building upon the BLS statements, Mr. Allen
discussed that the retirement of our industry affects not only our
technicians, but also effects the educators that train them. His
presentation went on to discuss the importance of looking at the
educator training and certifi cation process. It needs to be
inclusive of sustainable technologies and cross match the needs of
the students and careers that await them.
Many of the attendees hold technician certifications
from: HVAC Excellence, TABB, UA Star, RSES, NATE, BPI and others.
However, as educators they want to pursue the prestigious title of
Certifi ed Master HVACR Educator (CMHE). Educators should have a
better understanding of the technologies and the theory that
supports them. During the conference over 250 educator credentialing
exams were administered and thirteen new Certified Master HVACR
Educators were recognized. The breakout sessions covered a large
number of technical topics and teaching techniques conducted by
experts representing: Honeywell, Fujitsu, White Rogers, Carrier,
Arkema, and Daiken to name a few.
Bill Whitman, Bill Johnson, John Tomczyk and Eugene
Silberstein - the four authors of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
Technology (by Delmar Cengage Learning) took time to sign copies of
their newly released 7th edition. The four authors having not
appeared together for a decade were treated like rock stars as
attendees lined up forty deep to get an autographed copy and meet
the authors. Teaching people and keeping their attention is a very
diffi cult business. Sometimes an educator has to fi nd unique ways
to connect with their audience. David Boyd, Vice President of Appion
Inc. connected to attendees by singing a song to them about the
importance of proper evacuation
https://youtube/QmMMiZYks4M
The full conference program and photos are available
at https://www.hvacexcellence.org by clicking on the conference
button. The 2013 HVAC Excellence Educators Conference will be held
March 17-19, 2013 at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. For
additional information visit www.hvac excellence. org
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