PPATEC Introduces…

New 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program


PPATEC (Pennsylvania Petroleum Association Technical Education Center) is excited to announce a new workforce development initiative called the 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program. This gateway program was created to recruit and train new individuals into our industry. It will also serve as an onboarding training program for PPA members who hire entry-level field technicians. Attendees of this 10-week program will receive basic training on electrical, air conditioning, heating technologies, and propane systems. Attendees will also receive valuable industry certifications such as EPA 608, NORA, and CETP.

Facts about the 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program

  • In 2021 PPATEC was formally approved by the PA Department of Education to operate as a Private Licensed School. This state designation now allows PPATEC to charge tuition to non-employed individuals.
  • In 2022 PPATEC was formally approved by the Veterans Administration (VA) to accept GI Bill benefits (payment) from veteran attendees. This federal designation now allows PPATEC to enroll a veteran and have their tuition expense paid for through the GI Bill®.
  • The first ever 10-week program was held July 11, 2022 – September 16, 2022. Click here to meet the graduates of our inaugural class. Additional 10-week programs will be offered in 2023. PPATEC is actively enrolling students for 2023 programs! More details on program information and dates can be found here.

Are you a hands-on learner?


We Need Your Help!

This concept was created to directly benefit our membership. We are asking for our membership to support making this initiative successful. Below are four ways to help.


 

We recently launched a digital advertising campaign to promote this exciting opportunity on various social media and search platforms. A preview of the advertisement for this campaign can be found above. Individuals who click the ad will be directed to the following landing page which will then generate leads for prospective students. We are asking our membership to organically share this opportunity on your company Facebook page, Instagram page, electronic newsletter, and/or any other shareable electronic platform that can organically promote the class.

In 2021 the PPA established the Robert V. Boltz Scholarship Foundation. This newly established 501(c) (3) nonprofit foundation will offer tuition assistance for a portion of individuals who will be enrolling in 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program. The Robert V. Boltz Scholarship Foundation has formally received IRS tax exemption status as a charitable organization. Please note there are deadlines to apply for the scholarship.

More and more companies are reevaluating their hiring strategies to attract and retain technicians. The days of posting a job position for a field technician and having numerous qualified candidates to choose from are long gone. The PPA continues to see a membership trend in hiring individuals with limited experience and investing in developing their professional development. We are hopeful our new 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program is an option for you moving forward. We encourage members to consider hiring an individual without experience and sending them through our 10-week program as an onboarding procedure to receive baseline training and important industry certifications (EPA 608, NORA, and CETP). Attendees of the 10-week program will receive basic training on electrical, air conditioning, heating technologies, and propane systems.

View General Program Information View Online Employer Registration Page

Enroll Employees For Segmented Classes

Employers also have the option of registering employees for individual segments of program in 2023. Below are various options.

In addition to a training program, our marketing campaign will also generate leads from individuals who express interest in entering the HVAC and energy industry. We are hopeful a portion of those leads will be converted into enrollment for the 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program. Once those individuals are enrolled in our program, PPATEC plans to coordinate with our membership to set up job interviews as they near completion. Our intention is to establish a 95%+ placement rate with our member companies.

We also anticipate some of those leads will also result in identifying an individual who may not attend our 10-week program initially but would potentially be interested in seeking employment. In that scenario, we intend to connect those individuals with our member companies to set up interviews for direct employment opportunities. We are hopeful employers would then potentially send the employee to future PPATEC training programs.

Sign Up For New Employee Leads

Name
Receive PPATEC 10-Week Graduate Information
Please indicate whether or not your company would be interested in interviewing non employed individuals who are enrolled in the PPATEC 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program
Receive Entry Level Job Leads
Please indicate whether or not your company would be interested in interviewing individuals who have interest in the HVAC & energy industry but might not be attending our 10-week program.
Ride Along to Decide Program
Please indicate whether or not your company would be interested in allowing an individual to spend a day with your company technicians to better understand the HVAC and energy industry.