HVAC Program
Read about Chris Hudson, a 2013 graduate of College of The Albemarle’s (COA) HVAC program.
Before graduating from COA’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) program in May 2013, Hudson bounced among low-paying jobs. Determined to find a better professional path, he decided to go back to school at COA and earn his HVAC Technology Diploma. “I heard you can make a career out of it,” said Hudson. Three days after graduation, he got a job. It was the payoff Hudson was waiting for. “It felt pretty good,” he said. “I definitely worked hard for it — trying to get good grades in school.”
In addition to studying, Hudson also made the most of COA’s co-op program which allowed him to spend 160 hours working for a local HVAC company, going out on service calls and learning the trade firsthand. He made such a strong impression on his bosses there that they hired him immediately after his graduation from COA. “He went beyond,” said Kevin Harrell, vice president of George and Company, an HVAC contractor in Elizabeth City. “He would do co-op work during the week and volunteer to do weekends. He put forth extra to learn the trade. He was wanting to learn and that’s what we’re looking for.” Harrell has participated in COA’s HVAC co-op program for the past five years and since then, he has hired four full-time employees from the program. The school, Harrell said, turns out impressive HVAC students year after year.
“For the most part, they are pretty well versed in what they are doing,” Harrell said, adding that much of the credit lies with Gene Williams, COA’s HVAC instructor. “If you’ve got a good teacher, you’re definitely going to have a good student,” Harrell said.
Williams usually has 16 to 18 students a semester in the HVAC program and all of them are placed into co-ops with area employers. Besides providing students with solid work experience — repairing gas furnaces and troubleshooting heating and air conditioning systems — Williams said the co-ops allow his students to see how they like their chosen profession. “It gives them the opportunity to ask, ‘Do I want to do this for a living?'” Williams said.
Sometimes finding new employers to participate in COA’s co-ops can be tricky, Williams admitted, but for the ones who have already participated, they embrace the opportunity. It’s a successful program, he said. “The day after graduation, eight students had full-time jobs waiting for them,” Williams said, referring to May 2013 graduates. “There’s a big demand for trained technicians in this field.”
Stanley Nixon, a 32-year computer integrated machining instructor at COA, said his co-op program has had similar success. Of his eight graduates last August, only two had not found employment after graduation. “There are many machining jobs available locally and nationwide,” Nixon said. “We also have close contact with dozens upon dozens of local employers.”
COA has machining co-op arrangements with several area employers, including the U.S. Coast Guard base in Elizabeth City, Mytek Corporation in Edenton and Hockmeyer Manufacturing Company, also in Elizabeth City. Nixon said he also works with Nucor Steel in Hertford and Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Newport News Shipyard in Hampton Roads. “Our vocation programs have always been good to get into,” Nixon added. It’s a statement Hudson can attest to. He excelled so quickly in his new vocation that he is already manning a George and Company service truck on his own. Usually, Harrell said, it takes new HVAC technicians about two years to have that opportunity. “I just wanted to learn everything I could possibly learn,” Hudson said. “In this trade, you learn more from experience than anything.”