Should I Go To Trade School or Get Hired As An Apprentice?
I recently spoke with Matt who has been an HVAC technician for 21 years. He went to trade school for his education however he also runs the apprenticeship program. The following are Matt’s opinions about the pros and cons of going to trade school vs. getting hired as an apprentice.
Pros and Cons of Going to Trade School:
One of the good things about trade school is there is generally a lot of “lab.” This provided many changes to work on real-life air conditioners. It is always great to get hands on experience instead of reading a book about HVAC.
In this industry, you can’t just read a book or take a test and think you know what you need to know to be a successful HVAC technician.
In trade school, a lot of you experience depends on the teacher and how much ownership they take in the students. The teachers do teach a very well-rounded education. For the student that doesn’t know which part of the industry they want to pursue, they will learn about residential, commercial, industrial topics in about two years. Trade school give you an option to learn a little bit of everything. An apprenticeship will just focus on one part of the industry such as residential, commercial, etc.
If you go to trade school, try to work in the industry at the same time.
When I went to trade school I was working at the same time. I went to trade school in the morning and then worked in the afternoon. I will say my progression through trade school was significantly faster than I think the typical student. I was learning and also out there in the field doing it. None of my fellow students were in the field. All they could do was envision what the industry was going to be like.
Pros and Cons of Skipping Trade School and Being Hired as an Apprentice
Many HVAC companies have found that they have success in hiring when they hire based on if the applicant has a good attitude and personality and train for the technical skills “in-house.”
In our particular case at One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning, we’re a residential service provider. Good people skills and good communication is something they can’t teach in trade school, but we can look for that when we hire. We know that in our industry someone’s success rate has more to do with communication skills than their technical skills. I would say that’s one thing that a lot of trade schools are not teaching as much…the communication aspect of our industry. But it’s so important.
The apprentice program is a way for us to hire the right person, then provide a high level of education without the need to go to school.
Here’s the kicker…
I personally think one of the biggest benefits to the apprentice program is the one-on-one you get with your instructor. We just completed a program with three individuals. One of the employees had zero experience and the other two had already been through trade school…and we still put them through the apprenticeship program.
All three ended up in the field at the same time. They were all on the same level playing field and all three are just doing amazing. When you are in trade school, you’re in a classroom full of maybe twenty five other students and and there’s only so much time the teacher can spend with each student.
What is an HVAC Apprentice Program Like?
In the One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning program in Olathe, KS we’ll spend about six hours per day with the apprentices. They have class room days where we’ll start in the morning, take a lunch and then get back at it in the afternoon. Then on the non-classroom days they spend their time doing ride alongs and shadowing with experienced technicians. They will also be “helpers” on an installation crew. They get to see all all the different aspects of our industry. On the classroom days, you’re able to make eye contact with every one of those individuals and they’re not afraid to ask questions. Most people don’t want to feel like a fool in front of 25 other people, but when you are in a room just with a few other people, you are free to ask questions without consequence.
How long is the HVAC Apprentice Program?
For the apprentice coming in who knows absolutely nothing, how long does it take before they are ready to be in a truck?
Eight months.
After eight months of classroom, field training, and shadowing the typical person is ready.
Avoid dreadful student loan debt.
Our apprenticeship program takes potential technicians from knowing absolutely zero to being in a truck. Imagine having no experience whatsoever to being a working technician in the field without going into debt.
Here’s the kicker…
It doesn’t cost a penny.
We hire who we want to train, then train them at no cost. We also pay an hourly wage while we train.
However, it is a big investment for the company. It takes a lot of time and money for a company to train someone, but we find it a worthwhile investment. We have had great success with apprentices turning into long-term employees.
Another big benefit of an apprentice program is that we can teach and train for exactly what we need and want in a technician. Trade schools teach everyone universally. In our apprentice program we teach a lot of technical training but also a lot of communication training.
Advice For Anyone Interested In a Career In HVAC
My tip is always to just go and do a ride-along. (Ride with a technician for a day.) If you just have this vague interest, go see what it would be like in real life and see if you would be good at the job. Approach a company in a professional manner and nine time out of ten they would be happy for you to ride along with one of their technicians for a day.
I think that that would be a good investment of your time. Spend a couple of days doing a ride along instead of going to school for a year or two and then realizing after completing school that you don’t enjoy the HVAC industry.
Can You Be Passionate About HVAC?
When it comes to following your passion…we twist that saying a little bit and encourage people to find something that you are good at. Find something you’re good at and you tend to start loving the things your excel in and you get better and better every day.
In the video below we provide pros and cons to trade school vs apprenticeships and how to decide between trade school or apprenticeship. If you have questions about how to become an hvac apprentice, please contact us.
