Career Tracks: Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Technology

Government-mandated training makes HVAC a rapidly expanding market.

It is a field that has seen major changes over the past few years as a result of the national emphasis on fuel conservation. Students are given practical training in a well-equipped shop, and outside installation of service projects gives the students on-the-job experience.
 

Duties

Graduates in this field may be required to:

  • install, maintain and repair commercial and residential refrigeration, air conditioning and heating equipment
  • perform load calculations and estimate jobs
     

Working Conditions

Graduates in this field commonly experience:

  • environment varies greatly depending on the place of employment (indoors, outdoors, offices, plants)
  • may work alone or cooperatively with others
  • meet scheduling demands (Based on customer needs)
  • work under little direct supervision
  • overtime work sometimes required
  • travel may be involved
     

Physical Demands

  • overall activity depends on job - may be sedentary (primarily sitting) to very active (walking, lifting, etc.)
  • climbing/balancing
  • from light lifting (20 lbs.) to heavy (70+ lbs.)
     

Characteristics & Temperament

Graduates in this field should have:

  • good oral and written communication skills
  • ability to follow directions
  • ability to work with inanimate objects (set up and maintain equipment)
  • mechanical reasoning (understand mechanical principles and devices; understand how things work and how to fix them)
  • good motor coordination (hand/eye coordination, accurate and swift movements, finger/manual dexterity)
  • dependability
  • self-discipline
     

Employment Outlook

Graduates in this field can expect the following developments:

Employers and supporters

Recent graduates have found work at:

 

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