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New program at Central will offer heating, air-conditioning training

 
Published April 13, 2016

BROOKSVILLE — It is the time of year when eighth-grade and high school students decide what elective or career-path classes they might want to take next fall. At Central High School, students will have a new option: heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

"We're going to start it in August," said Central assistant principal Kelly Slusser.

Slusser and certified school guidance counselor Ruth Owen are interested in finding options for students who may not want to jump right into college.

"Some students are tired when they graduate," Owen explained, "and they want to start their lives with good-paying jobs."

An air-conditioning/heating and refrigeration program is already offered at Suncoast Technical Education Center. If Central students entering the school's program are farther along in high school than freshmen, they should be able to seamlessly move from the high school to the education center to complete the program.

Freshmen will be able to take classes for four years and graduate as certified and ready to work. A guidance department handout for potential students describes job growth in the HVAC field with enticing numbers.

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the HVAC field will experience growth of 34 percent during the years from 2010 to 2020. The BLS.gov shows that the average HVAC technician made over $42,000 in 2010, with the top 10 percent of the industry earning approximately $67,000."

Participating students will do classroom work as well as hands-on activities to learn how to troubleshoot commercial and residential heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and electrical control systems. They will learn to operate the electronics that control these systems and become familiar with the instruction manuals.

"We're excited about this because welding (already being offered at Central) and HVAC provide high-paying opportunities for kids, and there are a variety of different paths," said Owen.

Students will not need to know how they want to specialize in their earliest years. They will be introduced to all of the options, then choose a specialty.

Both welding and HVAC, Owen said, include significant science and math studies, such as chemistry and physics. Students will earn certifications in the program's various aspects, and some of those can replace math or science graduation requirements.

At the school district level, supervisor of secondary programs Marcia Austin keeps a close eye on these kinds of training options for students.

"We are fine-tuning the options for certifications," Austin said. "We want the students to have the right skills for local industry. We're working with the local HVAC businesses to see what skills the students need to be hired, and that will drive the certifications we offer."

One way the district is guided is by lists of high-demand and high-wage jobs. CareerSource Pasco Hernando is particularly useful. "They have real data," said Christine Kostis, district career and technology education specialist.

CareerSource offers, among other things, career fair information and job postings and requirements. The school district can use this information to help design programs.

Kostis said she also listens to community input and advisory boards, such as the local chamber of commerce. "We try to hear what people are saying," she said.

"The goal," she said, "is employment."