A/C, Refrigeration & Plumbing

AIR CONDITIONING, REFRIGERATION, & PLUMBING I Course No. 8503

AIR CONDITIONING, REFRIGERATION, & PLUMBING II Course No. 8504

2 years – 6 credits – Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center at Hermitage

State Course Title: Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration I, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration II.

The course is designed to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary for the installation and servicing of air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration systems. Emphasis will be placed on the use of tools and materials, basic refrigeration principles, basic electricity, and familiarization with various residential and commercial systems.

The second-year course is a continuation of fundamentals with an emphasis on a 10-hour OSHA safety course. National Certification Exam for EPA refrigerant usage. Ductwork, air distribution, instrumentation, controls, and troubleshooting. With the approval and recommendation of the teacher, students may spend time in actual work experience on the job during the second semester. Students enrolled in this program may participate in the construction of a house managed by the Henrico County Vocational/Technical Education Foundation.

Completion of the two-course sequence may prepare students for several certification exams, helpful for employment in a variety of HVACR occupations.

Credit for the following: Click here

The HVAC field requires a specific set of skills. A report published by the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation (WDF) highlights refrigeration technician, electrical designer, network support specialist, HVAC mechanic and HVAC installer as several of the field’s hardest-to-fill occupations – and predicts that almost half of the current technicians and installers in the U.S. plan to retire by 2025.⁴ This will continue to exacerbate the skills gap in the years ahead, while providing incredible opportunity for a technician to learn and grow within the career field.

“HVAC programs in the U.S. and Canada are seeking new students, from recent high school graduates to veterans or second-career adults,” confirms HVACR WDF Executive Director Kari M. Arfstrom. “New employees can be assured of a job that cannot be off-shored, is high-tech and offers better-than-average pay.”

Students can become certified in the following area(s):

HVAC EPA Refrigerant
OSHA 10 Card (Class Requirement-Cannot be used as a CTE credential)
Workplace Readiness

Podcast link: In this episode, we have another great success story! We talked with Robert Isbell, HCPS Mechanical Trades Supervisor, and ACE Center graduate, Ashton Carr. Ashton recently graduated from our ACE Center program, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Plumbing and was recently hired by HCPS Facilities at our Signing Day event. Robert talks about the duties his department covers and Ashton lets us know what it has been like the past few months working in the HCPS Facilities department and how he sees his future. It is another great Henrico CTE success story you are going to want to hear. Click here to hear.