As the HVACR industry experiences continued technological advances, educational institutions are striving to come up with better and more efficient ways of teaching future service technicians and giving them the necessary knowledge and skills they will need to follow in the footsteps of the present crop of technicians and keep up to date with the constantly evolving technology.
In contrast to the former days when the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, developed by different manufacturers, worked in similar fashion, Modern high-end equipment is much harder to service. Keeping ahead of the technological curve has become a lot more difficult for trained technicians. Equipment has become more proprietary, making it harder for people who are not dealers to carry out service or repairs.
As systems become more and more complex, HVAC instructors are forced to revisit the fundamentals and the basics of HVAC systems when retraining current technicians and teaching new students. Since most people are more interested in learning about the high end technological advances, the basic principles have been taken for granted.
Proper and thorough training in the fundamentals and basics is essential to give future and current technicians a foundation they can stand and rely on. Effective training should begin with the basics, regardless of how complicated the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems have become. The basic physics principles and concepts have not changed. Modern systems still use the same basic fundamental principles so equipping students with them is the basis for lasting success in the HVACR industry.
In order to keep pace and stay on top of the game, application of the basics to modern systems and products is essential. To guarantee reliable and more efficient services, a change in attitude is required of trained technicians, who appear to be disinterested in furthering their education and training.
Financial limitations experienced by HVAC instructors have hindered high quality and effective training of new service technicians; a common problem in most trade schools. Effective training depends on the availability of equipment, which is hard to come by for most instructors. Equipment manufacturers possess the ability to address this situation by offering their much needed support.
Information technology training for modern and mostly future technicians is necessary in order to keep up with the evolution in technology. Equipment and appliances are becoming more and more computerized, necessitating better training for service technicians. Although technology is making life easier, all equipment no matter how advanced eventually breaks down.
Thorough and continuous training is therefore essential to keep up with the changing systems and to offer consumers the most reliable and efficient services possible.