HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) is experiencing a big shake-up across the state and nation.
New environmental rules are pushing the industry to become more eco-friendly, requiring building owners and technicians to switch to greener systems that use less energy and produce fewer emissions. These changes mean traditional heating and cooling methods are being replaced by smarter, cleaner technologies like electric heat pumps and more efficient climate control systems that help combat climate change while potentially lowering energy costs for building owners.
But all of these changes wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for the skilled tradespeople who dedicate their careers to learning about cleaner technologies to help ensure we hit the goals outlined by the state and beyond. One place that is helping shape these individuals locally is Southern Westchester BOCES.
“We make it so easy for people to be able to work and come for a class a few nights a week,” said Betsy Evans, Coordinator of Adult and Continuing Education at Southern Westchester BOCES. “All of our instructors are experts in the field. It brings to our students what’s current and what’s happening in the industry.”
The school’s intensive HVAC program is offered in two different ways: full-time, 300 hours long, which meets Monday and Friday during the day, or part-time with evening classes. With either option, students receive an introduction to refrigeration and air conditioning theory and learn to identify and understand the function of electrical components, controls, valves, compressors, and evaporators, among other things.
This program is designed as a pre-apprenticeship or mechanic training. Students will be equipped to enter the field at the apprentice level. They receive expert training from skilled teachers such as Romeo Vito, an instructor who has been in the field for 40 years and counting and even spent time at BOCES himself.
His number one priority is to encourage his students to commit to lifelong learning, whether that means earning a college degree or reading additional materials after their day job (or both).
“In a sense, they are forced to continue their education, because if they want to be competitive, they are faced with new systems and new manufacturers,” says Vito. “They have to open the books and read. High-level expertise will not be on YouTube.”
While that might be true for all fields, Vito says it’s especially important with HVAC as everything is changing at a quick speed, faster here in New York than even in California. All new construction that is eight floors or less will have heat pumps, which is a new aspect of heating. At the same time, gas stoves and gas water heaters are also going away.
“[The program] includes a high-level [skill set], and [students] know heat pumps will be the heat source of the future,” Vito notes. “Technology is changing every day, refrigerants are changing, [and] more friendly refrigerants are coming on the market. [Students] see the environmental skills that politicians, press, or the schools have. They are immersed in the idea that things are changing. We have to be there like the soldiers on the battlefield to solve the problems. We are the first wave of transition into the new technology.”
Today, Vito is a chief engineer in the field and teaches not only at BOCES but other institutions in New York City. “The sky is the limit when it comes to learning,” he says.
According to Vito, the success rate of the students who come into the program is high. Since the field has such a significant demand right now, graduates can find jobs pretty quickly. In April, Southern Westchester BOCES holds a Spring Connections fair to connect students or recent graduates with union employers to help them land those jobs. The average salary in the HVAC industry is over $100,000.
“[Recent graduates] can get great pensions and great benefits,” Vito observes. “They can become constructive members of the society and community. The future is bright for them.”
Related: A Look Into Westchester County Government’s Hiring Push
