HVAC/R Techs in High Demand
- Steve Russo
- Jul 1, 2014
- 3 min read
HVAC/R program at NIC. By Kaye Thornbrugh. Photo by Tom Greene.
Shipping containers and refrigerated semis. Supermarkets. Restaurants. Homes and businesses. These are just a handful of areas where HVAC/R (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) technicians do their work. HVAC/R techs are vital to almost every area of life, and the need for qualified techs is on the rise.
“If you make it cold, make it hot, freeze it or boil it, then it’s got to do with our trade,” said Jon May, instructor of the HVAC/R program at North Idaho College.
According to the Idaho Department of Labor, the field is projected to have a shortage of trained employees in the next five to ten years. In 2012, median pay for HVAC/R technicians was $20.98 per hour.
The HVAC/R trade has two main facets: equipment installation and service. The installation side can include anything from a home air conditioner to placing a 40-ton cooling tower on top of a high-rise. Similarly, a technician working in the service side might get a call about something as simple as a reach-in cooler at a supermarket or as complicated as the complex cooling system weaved throughout a high-rise building.
North Idaho College’s HVAC/R program is a nine month certificate program that starts in late August and ends in May. The program is divided into 10 hours of hands-on labs per week and 10-12 hours of classroom work. Students are also required to take classes in English, basic math, computer skills and resume-writing, all to help them be better-prepared for their job search.
“I probably have two employers a month calling me, asking for technicians coming out of this school,” May said. “There are more jobs than technicians, and the trend is only supposed to get worse. The need is definitely there, short-term and long-term.”
The rate of students hired upon graduation has been more than 90 percent. Most of the students who don’t work in the HVAC/R field have indicated in surveys that they’ve chosen to go into another line of work or gone back to school to pursue something different. “Most of the time, it’s full employment,” May said. “There’s no problem with placement.”
May said his students range from those completely new to the field to those who have worked as automotive technicians, motorcycle mechanics and technicians at plants. In the first month of instruction, May builds his students’ knowledge from the ground up, going through tools, electrical and wiring.
“Jon [May] is an extraordinary instructor,” said Jacob Kjos, a current student. “I couldn’t ask for a better instructor. He’s all about hands-on experience, which is key in our profession.”
After enrolling in college, Paul Smith, 19, didn’t think college was for him. But in the HVAC/R program, he found the right fit. Now he accompanies May to recruitment fairs, where they discuss the program and career possibilities with high school students.
“I like problem-solving,” Smith said. “I like fixing stuff, so trying to figure out what’s wrong is a lot of fun. It’s like a puzzle.”
May said the career is perfect for people who are mobile. “This is a job that I can literally go to any city in America and within, probably, two days have a job. It’s one of those things that you can go anywhere and get work.”
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