HVAC Training and Certification Hunt Valley MD

How to Find the Right HVAC Certification Training near Hunt Valley Maryland

air conditioner condensers in Hunt Valley MD Once you have come to a decision on a career as a heating and cooling specialist, the next action is to choose an HVAC vocational school near Hunt Valley MD. But with so many to select from, how do you pick the ideal one to obtain the training that you require? Many prospective students will make their choice based solely on the cost of tuition or how close the school is to their residence. Although these are significant concerns, they are not the only ones to evaluate. Just some of the other things that you need to research are the graduation rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. Those and other benchmarks will be addressed in more detail later in this article. But before we explore how to pick an HVAC vocational school, let’s take a look at what a heating and air conditioning specialist does to become a licensed skilled tradesman.

How to Become an HVAC Professional

Hunt Valley MD HVAC Tech installing water heater HVAC is an acronym that is frequently used in the business that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC professionals provide services for the installation, repair and maintenance of central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, water heaters and heating systems. As skilled tradesmen, they are commonly mandated to be licensed, though each state and local municipality has its own criteria. Attaining professional certification is not compulsory, but a voluntary means for Hunt Valley MD HVAC specialists to establish that they are highly proficient and accomplished in their area of specialization. There are a number of recognized certifications within the industry that are available. Here are a few of the important ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally acknowledged certification for HVAC techs. The certification is achieved by passing a competency exam and may be earned in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification offers both a professional and a master specialist credential. Two years of professional experience together with passing a comprehensive exam are required for the professional level certification. Master specialists must have three years of experience along with a passing score on the professional level exam. As with NATE, certifications are provided in various specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is necessary for techs that handle refrigerants. There are three forms of certification offered, one for small appliances, and the other two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Since licensing might be mandated in your area, and you may also intend to earn certification, it’s important that you select an HVAC vocational school that will train you for both. And since you will probably be working with refrigerants, make certain that the program you select readies you for passing the EPA Section 608 examinations.

HVAC Degree Classes

radiator heater in Hunt Valley MD home There are a variety of options offered for HVAC instruction in a trade or technical school. You can earn a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Earning a certificate will take the minimum amount of time, typically achieved in as little as 6 months, however some programs are longer. A certificate will qualify you for most HVAC positions, especially if you are licensed and have certification applicable to the position. The degree programs can provide a competitive edge for securing employment and will deliver more in-depth training than the certificate programs. Below is a short description of each option offered near Hunt Valley MD.

Certificate. Generally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are very popular among beginning commercial or residential HVAC technicians. They furnish a strong foundation of skills for job opportunities within the industry.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program delivers a more extensive understanding of heating and cooling systems than the certificate program. Typically taking 2 years to complete, some degrees feature an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is suited more for a career in management as well as business ownership. Some programs call for an Associate Degree, while others are a conventional four year program. In addition to mastering how to service and maintain heating and air conditioning systems, you will also study how to design them.

Choosing the appropriate credential program will be based on what your future career goals are, along with the time and financial resources that you have to commit. One possibility is to start with a certificate or even an Associate Degree program, and after getting some experience in the field in Hunt Valley MD, later going back to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your approach, be sure to ask the HVAC technician school you are looking at about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Online Schools

Hunt Valley MD student attending HVAC school online Enrolling in an HVAC program online is one possibility in obtaining your education and receiving a certificate or degree. Almost all schools will require some attendance on campus to complete hands on training. Some also sponsor internship or work-study programs in addition to or in place of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes may be participated in online, this option may be a more practical solution for many Hunt Valley MD students that are pressed for time. And many online degree programs are less costly than other traditional choices. Even travelling expenses from Hunt Valley and study materials may be lessened, helping to make schooling more affordable. And numerous online programs are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your career or family commitments have left you with limited time to attend classes, perhaps an online HVAC degree program will make it more convenient to accommodate school into your active lifestyle.

Questions to Ask HVAC Schools

Questions to ask Hunt Valley MD HVAC training schools When you have picked the type of degree or certificate that you would like to acquire, either online or on campus, you can start to narrow down your selection of schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous HVAC vocational schools in the Hunt Valley MD area and throughout the Country to select from. That’s why it is essential to have a list of relevant qualifiers when making school assessments. As previously mentioned in our opening paragraph, tuition and location will undoubtedly be the initial 2 factors you will take into consideration. Following are some additional ones that you should research before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Numerous HVAC trade schools in the Hunt Valley MD area have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance HVAC technology. Make certain that the school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you acquire a quality education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, some states require that the HVAC training program be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the HVAC schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It may also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which can mean more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Hunt Valley MD HVAC employers to assist grads secure apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of HVAC trade programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of HVAC contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with local Hunt Valley MD HVAC contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the HVAC technician you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Hunt Valley MD HVAC company if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Hunt Valley MD home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to several of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Hunt Valley MD, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering an HVAC School near Hunt Valley MD?

Perhaps you are considering enrolling in an HVAC training program in the Hunt Valley Maryland area. If so, you may find the following background information about the location of your new school campus both interesting and informative.

Hunt Valley, Maryland

Hunt Valley is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Its traditional name was based on being just east of Maryland's traditional Horse Country (like the Kentucky Blue Grass region), and the site of the venerable Maryland Hunt Cup championship of steeplechase horse racing and jumping established 1894. It lies just north of the city of Baltimore, along the York Road (former old historic Baltimore-York Turnpike) which is now Maryland Route 45 off Interstate 83. The Loch Raven Reservoir nearby is an important drinking water resource and with its surrounding forested watershed is one of three reservoirs (Loch Raven, Prettyboy and Liberty) established for the City of Baltimore and its surrounding metropolitan areas in Baltimore County since the 1880s and expanded in the 1910s. Located at a latitude of 39.5° North and longitude 76.7° West.

Hunt Valley is the home of AmTote International, Inc., Systems Alliance, Inc., BreakAway Games, Atradius North America, Sinclair Broadcast Group, McCormick & Company, Textron Systems (formerly AAI Corporation), Dunbar (Armored Vehicles), TESSCO Technologies, ZeniMax Online Studios, and Drchrono. It was the former home of Noxell Corporation, makers of Noxzema, before Noxell was acquired by Procter & Gamble in the early 1990s. It was also the former home of KCI Technologies, Inc., PHH and Firaxis Games, all of which now reside in Sparks, Maryland which is a few miles to the north of Hunt Valley. MicroProse, a leading video game developer from the 1980s, was originally based in Hunt Valley. The Hunt Valley Inn is the most popular hotel in Maryland for annual regional Science fiction conventions for fans of the TV shows and feature movies Star Wars and the ever-popular Star Trek and their "Trekkers"/"Trekkies". Over the years it has hosted Balticon, ShoreLeave, Horrorfind, Monster Mania, Nostalgia Con, FaerieCon, ClipperCon and Farpoint.[citation needed]

Hunt Valley is served by the old Cockeysville, Maryland post office, which is also a neighbor of the burgeoning Timonium suburban community, and also is home to a satellite campus of the Community College of Baltimore County in this northern central area of Baltimore County (which has three regular full-size campuses - Catonsville in the southwest, Dundalk in the southeast and Essex in the east). Nearby is the Timonium Race Course which although not as active as in decades past, still has a small amount of horse racing in conjunction with better known local tracks such as northwest Baltimore City's Pimlico Race Course (home of the annual Preakness Stakes, run since 1873 as one of throughbred horse racing's Triple Crown) and Laurel Park Racecourse in the northeastern suburbs of Washington, D.C.'s Prince George's County, Maryland. The Timonium Fairgrounds however are still home to the over century-and-a-half Maryland State Fair held in late August and early September.

HVAC Training and Certification Hunt Valley MD

Selecting the ideal HVAC school program is a crucial first step toward a fulfilling career in the heating & cooling trade. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding HVAC Training and Certification. However, as we have discussed in this article, you should choose an HVAC trade school and a certificate or degree program that are both accredited and have exceptional reputations within the HVAC field. Other things to search for are plenty of practical training and modern facilities. You need to go to each of the schools personally that you are most interested in to tour the campus and talk with both the faculty and current students. Try to get a feel for the quality of the instruction and the interaction between them. In addition, inquire about scheduling options and whether or not evening or weekend classes are offered if needed. And don’t forget to ask about financial aid and student loan options too. If you ask the right questions as we have laid out in our checklist for comparing schools, you’ll be able to filter your choices so that you can make an educated decision. With the appropriate training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC technician in Hunt Valley MD.