NYC HVAC Training Courses Move Online

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City in mid-March, everything shut down abruptly. That included the HVAC training courses run by the Steamfitters Local 638, the NYC branch of United Association (UA), the union that serves the HVAC and Refrigeration trades.

Prior to March 13, Local 638 trained new HVAC and Refrigeration technician apprentices (as well as more experienced union members) with classroom and lab training held at their training center located in Long Island City, Queens.

“After March 13th, we had to make a decision,” explained Steve Cuadra, Local 638 Training Director. “It was either shut the school down or institute online training. We wanted to continue student instruction and not put everyone on hold, so we decided to go with 100% online HVAC training courses.”

Although online HVAC technician training was fairly new to Local 638, the UA had already been providing a great deal of online training, including an extensive resource center for members.

“Our international union provided us with fantastic support,” said Cuadra. “With their help, within a 2 week period we were able to get all our students up on Blackboard (our online training platform) and we started online training.”

While some of the Local 638 instructors had experience with online training and were enthusiastic, others were unfamiliar with the format and had serious reservations.

“That changed once they understood the benefits,” explained Cuadra. “They love it now. They are all fully on board. They have already asked if we can continue providing HVAC training online when our classes resume in September.”

For students, it was an easy transition. “With this generation, they are used to being on their phones and computers and they picked it right up.”

Advantages of online HVAC training courses

According to Cuadra, both Local 638 students and instructors immediately realized the following benefits of moving to online HVAC technician training:

Reduced paperwork. Previously classes relied heavily on paper handouts. Now all that material is easily accessible to students online, without all the paper.

Improved testing. The Blackboard platform provides a variety of testing and assessment formats, so instructors have more options (beyond paper-based quizzes). Assessment timing can be flexible to better meet the needs of students, and they can even be allowed to repeat the test until they succeed if appropriate. Best of all, the Blackboard platform takes care of grading automatically, and both students and instructors can immediately see the results.

Increased visibility into student progress. Instructors can see exactly how much work students have completed and how much time they have spent working with the online training materials. This is very helpful since HVAC & Refrigeration service apprentices must complete a minimum number of weekly hours as part of the union training program. Instructors can more easily see when students are falling behind and need to put in more time and effort, or are struggling to grasp the material and need extra help.

Improved resources. UA has a tremendous library of resources that students can use to educate themselves above and beyond what they are taught in the classroom, so they can get the most out of their education.

No commuting! During the last 2 years of an HVAC and Refrigeration apprenticeship, students previously had to commute to the training center in the evenings after working all day. Now they can do much of that work at home and prevent wasted time sitting in NYC traffic.

Overcoming challenges with HVAC technician training online

Hands-on practice. The Local 638 training center has a state-of-the-art workshop where students can gain hands-on experience with wiring, soldering, brazing and other technical procedures. With the move to 100% online training this spring, students were able to learn the theory for these skills by reviewing wiring diagrams, brazing procedures, and soldering procedures. However, they were unable to get hands-on practice.

In addition to losing the chance to practice skills in the lab, about half of student apprentices were temporarily furloughed from their field positions when the city shut down, so they also lost the chance to learn on the job.

“Let’s be honest,” said Cuadra, “a lot of learning happens in the field in this business.”

The good news is that everyone is back to work now. However, students will need to make up that lost lab work in the fall.

Opportunities for interaction. With classroom training, students have the chance to interact naturally with the instructor and also with their peers. Local 638 instructors scheduled Zoom calls to provide that opportunity with the new online HVAC training courses. During the calls, students were able to ask questions and discuss any issues with the instructor and with peers. Students were also encouraged to email or call instructors if they needed help. Instructors also made a point to check in with anyone who was failing to participate or keep up with assignments to find out what was happening and how they could help.

Technology availability. Many class assignments and tests were not easy to complete on a smartphone, and there were a few students who lacked access to laptops. The training center was able to lend equipment so students could stay on track.

Plans to combine online & classroom training for the fall 2020 semester

Although plans are still being finalized, Cuadra fully expects the Local 638 training program to continue with online HVAC training courses, even after classroom training can resume in the fall.

“Students definitely need some classroom training and lab work, and for that they will need to come into the Training Center,” said Cuadra. “But where we can take advantage of online learning, we definitely plan to build that in.”

“Our goal is to turn out excellent mechanics who can use their skills to earn a good living, benefits, and a pension, and be able to provide for their families. We want to help them be the best they can be.”

Interested in a career as an HVAC and Refrigeration technician in NYC? Check out our online resources to learn more.