Having a Registered Apprentice Sponsor and the Required Hours

After you have completed a HVAC program you’ll need to complete a one to four year internship in order to obtain the required field knowledge.  During an apprenticeship the student will learn on the job training and will work a specified number of hours in the trade in order to obtain their certification. The usual hour requirement for this field is 2,000 hours.  

The sponsored apprenticeship program will consist of on the job training in conjunction with classroom work and will be sponsored by a trade associate or employer. This can provide the student with a free HVAC program in exchange for signing an employment contract with the HVAC sponser for a period of two to three years.

In an apprenticeship you will learn electrical and general safety, grounding and transformer theory, service and overcurrent protection, wiring and DC electricity, how to use electric mechanical equipment, basic motors and controls, chimneys, flues and vent cleaning and maintenance, air distribution systems and how to maintain heat pumps and compressors. During this time you will work in all types of environments such as schools, hospitals, government buildings and businesses.

Benefits of an Apprenticeship and the Salary

Working as an apprentice you will be able to get your foot in the door as far as future employment with the company you are apprenticing with. Should you decide that you want to find employment elsewhere you can use the opportunity of your apprenticeship as a way to network with professional HVAC techs, HVAC sales associates and project managers.

The salary for the HVAC apprenticeship will range from 15,000$ to 30,000$ depending on the state you live in and the company you are interning for. States such as California will offer a salary of 25,000$ to 35,000$. The apprenticeships that are available within unions are highly competitive and will typically take a recommendation from a current union worker or an associate’s degree.

The average salary for the certified HVAC technician will range from 30,000$ to 40,000$ after the tech has gained two to three years of experience.

The HVAC Education Requirements

An HVAC certification program will teach students how to read blueprints, temperature control, equipment design, how to maintain and repair heating and cooling systems and how to install them. The following is some of the core courses you can expect in an accredited program: fundamentals of HVAC technology, pressure, heat energy, personal protective equipment, hydronics, oil heat, gas heat, personal safety, electrical lockout, electrical tag-out, what is energy, intro to the industry, parallel circuits, magnetism, transformers, power wiring, residential heat, electric motor theory, diagnosing motors, three phase motors, system properties and air flow measurement.

The Required Apprenticeship and Work Environment

Most states will require the HVAC student to have worked one to two years as an apprentice under the supervision of a certified HVAC technician or contractor.  Some apprenticeship programs can last four to five years and will teach the apprentice how to incorporate and blend practical learning practices with theoretical practices. An apprenticeship program will commonly be provided by a professional union.

After a student has graduated from an HVAC program they will need to sit for their licensing exam which will contain questions about system installation, repair and maintenance and electrical codes. For those HVAC techs that want to work with refrigerants they will need to take an additional exam for certification.

As a professional technician in this field you will work for the city, or you can work for a large or small heating and cooling company. In the field you will work on repairing and installing systems in residential homes, offices, factories or hospitals.

The median salary for the HVAC technician in 2011 was 42,000$, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the top ten percent of technicians making 65,000$. The national average salary for this field in 2010 was 25,000$. Working as an apprentice you will earn fifty percent of the salary that the licensed HVAC technician will make. The salary for this field will be based on the level of education, union affiliation, the company they are employed with and which state they live in.   Those technicians that have worked in the field for more than three years may also decide to open up their own HVAC business.

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