Hey ME, should we send techs your way?

Bryan_16

warmer@gwtc.net

John R. Hall

Colorado ripe for the pickin'

Mark:

I saw this article today -- pretty cool stuff.

Hot prospects
By Christine Steele
The Daily Reporter-Herald
After Bill Hickman learned he would lose his job with Nypro Inc. when it shuttered its Longmont plant, he went looking for a job that couldn’t get outsourced.
In fall 2004 he signed up for classes in Front Range Community College’s Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program.
“I figured they can’t ship your furnace overseas to be repaired,” he said. “Or your air conditioner.”
Turns out he was right.
The industry is one of the fastest growing in Northern Colorado.
As manufacturing and other jobs in the region disappear, the demand for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers is on the rise.
Workforce Liaison Andy Smith of the Larimer County Workforce Center said the field is expected to grow 6 percent annually between 2002 and 2012, outpacing even the health care field.
The average growth rate for most industries in the region is 2 percent to 2.5 percent, Smith said, while the demand for jobs in other industries, such as industrial engineers and electrical and electronic equipment assemblers, is expected to slide
The region’s growth and industries’ increased focus on energy efficiency is driving the demand for more trained technicians with up-to-date skills.
Classes are full in the community college’s program, where instructor Ron Hohl said as many as 50 percent of the students are retraining for a career that is booming.
Director Tom Cook said that when he first took over the program four years ago, it was suffering from low enrollment.
Over the last three years, however, the demand for HVAC technicians grew dramatically.
Getting the program accredited in November 2004 and moving to a new, larger facility at the Thompson School District administration building at 800 S. Taft Ave. has since helped the program flourish.
Area employers look to the program for new hires and to provide additional training to their employees.
Ice Energy, where Hickman landed a job in October, will look to the program to hire six lab technicians trained in air conditioning systems and refrigerants over the next year, said Randy Zwetzig, the company’s vice president of marketing and sales. He said the company has grown from six to 30 employees in the past three years and plans to add as many as 10 more over the next year.
Greg Snyder of Edwards Refrigeration said the changes in refrigerants and demand for more-technically trained individuals is driving the industry.
“We are doing more diverse things, different applications like (magnetic resonant imaging) machines,” he said.
“It’s definitely not a static business.”
The rapidly changing environment is what drew 20-year-old Justin Huggenberger to the field.
After spending one semester playing basketball and pursuing a business degree he wasn’t sure he wanted, Huggenberger transferred from college in Iowa to Front Range this spring.
“I love learning new stuff, and this is definitely the field to do that because you are always coming across different opportunities,” he said.
Huggenberger is taking two classes in AC refrigeration at Front Range this semester and working full time for Albrecht’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning in Loveland.
“I like working with my hands and felt this would be more useful.”

[Deleted User]

Send them up!

Not only are some of the best Construction Tech schools located here, the services companies are offering thousands of dollars for signing bonuses, making it not only hard to FIND good help, but even tougher to KEEP good help.

That, coupled with the fact that there are more people leaving the trades than coming in, and a good tech finds himslef in the drivers seat as it pertains to wages...

I heard on Paul Harvey the other day that a good auto mechanic starts out at $70K per year. If we're going to entice and keep new blood in this industry, we're going to have to pay more than the auto industry.

Oddly enough, I too wrote an article pertaining to this very subject...

ME

Bryan_16

just out

of curiosity, what does a beginning tech earn? One with 5 years experience? 20 Years? Bryan

[Deleted User]

As with any hydronic related question...

IT DEPENDS!!

What market are you in. How business smart are the owners. Does your work quality warrant a higher charge.

While it is a Wall policy to not discuss prices in opoen public, I'd be glad to respond to your question via e-mail.

ME