PPATEC HVAC Program Graduates Inaugural Class

On July 11, 2022 PPATEC (Pennsylvania Petroleum Association Technical Education Center) launched its inaugural 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program. This program was the result of a multi-year effort that included a building expansion, Pennsylvania Department of Education certification, and Veteran Affairs approval. Course curriculum for the 400-hour program includes electric, air conditioning, gas/oil heating, and propane training.

The initial class featured four individuals who attended the program from start to finish. The 10-week program also included different components based upon curriculum which allowed for 45 other individuals from PPA/PPATEC member companies to attend specific class segments based upon their training needs.

(left to right) Jamal Laster (independent), Cody Wallace (R. F. Ohl), Riley Thomas (Bamberger’s Inc.), Caleb Templin (Bamberger’s Inc.)

Jamal Laster 

Jamal is a military veteran who chose to attend our program to begin a career in the HVAC & energy industry. Jamal was able to use his GI Bill benefits to cover all tuition costs. During the course of the program, Jamal interviewed with 6 different PPA members and ultimately chose to begin his career at Suburban Propane. Jamal graduated our program on September 16 and will be starting his career at Suburban Propane on September 19! Pictured below is Jamal alongside Mark Angle (Customer Service Center Manager at Suburban Propane).

Cody Wallace 

Cody is another military veteran who was hired by R. F. Ohl with no previous industry experience in June 2022. R. F. Ohl chose to enroll Cody into our 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program to provide baseline training and necessary industry certifications. Since Cody is a veteran with GI Bill benefits, he was able to use those benefits to cover the tuition cost of the program as well as receive a housing allowance through the GI Bill to cover his hotel lodging expense during the week.

Riley Thomas

Riley’s family operates Bamberger’s Inc. who is a full service delivery and service company in Lebanon, PA. Riley had limited field experience as enrolled into our 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program to receive the necessary entry-level training and industry certifications to be an asset to his company. Riley was also a recipient of the Robert V. Boltz Scholarship Foundation which resulted in a significant savings in tuition costs for his employer.

Caleb Templin 

Caleb is a recent college graduate from Texas who relocated to the South Central Pennsylvania area with his wife earlier this year. Caleb ultimately chose to go to work for Bamberger’s Inc. which was his first introduction into the energy and HVAC industry. Bamberger’s Inc. also chose to enroll Caleb into our 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Program to provide baseline industry training. Caleb was also a recipient of the Robert V. Boltz Scholarship Foundation.

Looking Ahead Into 2023

PPATEC will offer two 10-Week HVAC & Energy Professional Programs in 2023. The program dates can be found below.

January 16, 2023 – March 24, 2023 (click here to learn more)

July 10, 2023 – September 15, 2023 (click here to learn more)

If you would prefer to enroll one of your employees into a portion of the class, please view our upcoming training schedule to reserve their seat.

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. If you wish to receive more information on this program please click here.

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