HVAC Schools Near Me in Bartonsville PA 18321

Bert — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 20:04:17 +0000

How to Find the Right HVAC Certification Class near Bartonsville Pennsylvania

Now that you have decided on a career as a heating and cooling specialist, the next action is to find an HVAC trade school near Bartonsville PA. But with so many to choose from, how do you choose the best one to receive the training that you need? A number of prospective students will make their choice based solely on the cost of tuition or how close the school is to their residence. While these are significant factors to consider, they are not the only ones to investigate. Some of the other things that you need to look into are the graduation completion rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. These and additional criteria will be discussed in more detail later in this article. But before we explore how to pick an HVAC training program, let’s look at what a heating and cooling technician does to become a licensed qualified tradesman.

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Becoming an HVAC Professional in Bartonsville PA

HVAC is an acronym that is frequently used in the business that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC techs provide services for the installation, repair and maintenance of central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, hot water heaters and heating systems. As professional tradesmen, they are generally required to be licensed, though each state and regional municipality has its own requirements. Acquiring professional certification is not mandatory, but a voluntary means for Bartonsville PA HVAC specialists to prove that they are exceptionally qualified and knowledgeable in their area of specialization. There are multiple acknowledged certifications within the industry that are available. Following are some of the important ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally acknowledged certification for HVAC technicians. The certification is earned by passing a competency exam and may be earned in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification offers both a professional and a master specialist credential. Two years of professional experience together with passing a comprehensive examination are needed for the professional level certification. Master specialists must have three years of experience in addition to a passing result on the professional level exam. As with NATE, certifications are made available in several specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is required for techs that work with refrigerants. There are 3 forms of certification offered, one for small appliances, and the additional two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Because licensing could be required in your location, and you may also intend to earn certification, it’s essential that you pick an HVAC technical school that will prepare you for both. And since you will probably be working with refrigerants, make sure that the program you pick preps you for passing the EPA Section 608 exams.

HVAC Degree and Certificate Courses

There are several options available for HVAC instruction in a technical or trade school. You can earn a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Earning a certificate will take the lesser period of time, often accomplished in just 6 months, though some courses are longer. A certificate will train you for most HVAC positions, particularly if you are licensed and have certification related to the position. The degree programs can provide a competitive advantage in the job market and will deliver more in-depth training than the certificate programs. Below is a short summary of each option offered near Bartonsville PA.

Certificate. Generally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are preferred among beginning residential or commercial HVAC professionals. They furnish a strong foundation of skills for employment within the trade.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program provides a more exhaustive knowledge of heating and cooling systems than the certificate program. Usually requiring two years to complete, some degrees incorporate an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is geared more for a career in management or even business ownership. Some programs require an Associate Degree, while others are a conventional 4 year program. In addition to learning how to service and maintain heating and cooling systems, you will also learn how to design them.

Selecting the right credential program will be based on what your long term career objectives are, in addition to the time and financial resources that you have to commit. One approach is to start with a certificate or even an Associate Degree program, and after gaining some experience in the field in Bartonsville PA, later going back to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your tactic, make sure to ask the HVAC technician school you are considering about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Schools Online

Attending an HVAC school online is one option to attaining your education and receiving a certificate or degree. Most schools will call for some attendance on campus to take part in practical training. Some also provide internship or work-study programs in addition to or in place of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes can be attended via the internet, this approach may be a more accessible solution for some Bartonsville PA students that are short on time. And many online degree programs are less expensive than other traditional choices. Even travelling expenses from Bartonsville and study materials can be minimized, helping to make education more economical. And many online programs are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your job or family obligations have left you with little time to attend classes, perhaps an HVAC online training program will make it easier to accommodate school into your hectic lifestyle.

Questions to Ask HVAC Training Programs near Bartonsville PA

Once you have picked the type of degree or certificate that you want to obtain, either on campus or online, you can begin to narrow down your list of schools. As you are probably aware, there are a large number of HVAC vocational schools in the Bartonsville PA area and all over the United States to select from. That’s why it is very important to have a checklist of important qualifiers when making school comparisons. As formerly stated in our opening paragraph, location and tuition will most likely be the first two factors you will consider. Following are some additional ones that you will want to investigate before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Numerous HVAC trade schools in the Bartonsville PA area have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for example HVAC technology. Make certain that the program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you acquire an excellent education, it can assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Also, some states mandate that the HVAC training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the HVAC schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate may suggest that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It could also suggest that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which can produce more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Bartonsville PA HVAC employers to help graduates acquire apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most HVAC vocational programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of HVAC businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with local Bartonsville PA HVAC companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the HVAC specialist you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Bartonsville PA HVAC contractor if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Bartonsville PA home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Talk to some of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Bartonsville PA, check that the schools you are considering offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Attending HVAC School near Bartonsville PA?

Bartonsville, Pennsylvania

Bartonsville was founded in 1831 by Colonel Joseph Benjamin Barton when he opened up a hotel and post office along the Easton-Belmont Turnpike stagecoach route. Barton settled along this profitable transportation route after running an ice cream parlor in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania for several years. After residing and giving his name to the community, Barton eventually pulled up stakes and travelled further north, eventually founding the borough of Waymart in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The result of his move is that the only Barton buried in Custard's Cemetery (the principal and one of only two cemeteries in or near the community) is his daughter Lydia Barton, who remained in Bartonsville after his departure, but never married. The community could easily have been called Custardsville, since the Custard family settled in the area shortly after Barton, opening a sawmill on the Pocono Creek, and eventually establishing a Lutheran church (a daughter church of the Hamilton Union Church in Hamilton Square, Pennsylvania). The Custard family also gave land for a school and a cemetery. At the turn of the 20th century, Bartonsville was the typical, small Mid-Atlantic community, including two one-room school houses (due to the multiple townships in which it is located), a grist mill, a tannery and barkshed, a grand, rambling hotel (Barton's by then called the Forest Inn), a creamery, general store, post office and cobbler. The community also boasted a dance hall, brass band and a baseball team.

Today, Bartonsville has become an urbanized bedroom community. Passing through the Bartonsville area is Pennsylvania Route 611, which is lined with modern shopping centers and subdivisions, among them Barton Glen, Tara Hills, Pocono Laurel Lake, Fawn Acres, and Buck Valley. Largely a bedroom community today, retail and hospitality industries make up the lion's share of the village's economic activity. The village's ZIP code is 18321, which according to the US Census https://www.census.gov had a population of 1,753 in 2000.

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Choose the Right HVAC Trade School near Bartonsville PA

Selecting the right HVAC training course is a critical beginning toward a rewarding career in the heating and cooling field. As we have addressed in this article, you need to choose a trade school and a degree or certificate program that are both accredited and have excellent reputations within the HVAC profession. Other factors to look for are plenty of hands-on training and modern facilities. You need to go to each of the schools personally that you are most interested in to inspect the campus and speak with both the current students and faculty. Try to get a feel for the quality of the training and the interaction between them. In addition, ask about scheduling choices and whether or not evening or weekend classes are available if needed. And don’t forget to ask about financial aid and student loan options also. If you ask the right questions as we have detailed in our checklist for evaluating schools, you’ll be able to narrow down your options so that you can make an educated decision. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC professional in Bartonsville PA.