Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician Training Offers Hands-on Practice
Like many other Centennial College
programs, the Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician training
prides itself on offering students a combination of theoretical lectures and
hands-on practice to ensure that they are ready to enter the industry upon
graduation. And students must be prepared to be in demand in a high-tech
industry as today’s residential central air conditioning systems are up to 35
per cent more energy-efficient than those that were typically installed in the
1990s — making them more complicated.
To prepare students for such a demanding
job the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician program offers
two years to intensive training. Applicants to the undertaking must have
completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent,
or have mature student status (19 years or older). In addition, they must have
completed English 12C or U, or skills assessment, or equivalent; and Math 11M
or U, or 12C or U, or skills assessment, or equivalent.
Once they are accepted, students of the
Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning courses study from Centennial
College’s largest location, Progress Campus. This provides ample opportunity to
network and allows students access to computer labs and other facilities that
may assist them in their learning. Among the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
courses that students attend are: System Design & Installation,
Psychrometrics – Control, Electrical & Control Systems, Pipe Joining &
Installation for Cooling, Heating Fundamentals, Electrical Fundamentals and
more.
To apply what they have learned in their
Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning courses before graduation, students
partake in a Capstone Project in their final semester. As it is offered in the
final semester, students are expected to apply elements of everything they have
learned in the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician offering
to this project. A faculty member supervises the Capstone Project.
Thanks to the well-rounded training offered
by the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning courses, students are able
to: maintain, size and select equipment for air conditioning and refrigeration
application; develop refrigerants; develop equipment to meet the Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) standards; make, install, repair and service
residential, commercial and industrial cooling and heating systems; recharge
systems with refrigerant gases as required; connect rooftop units to gas; test
and balance systems and connect electrical systems; adjust computerized
controls; use computer software to calculate loads, and work on large machines.
Upon graduation from Heating, Refrigeration
and Air Conditioning Technician program, students may obtain employment as
heating technicians or through affiliated trade apprenticeships in plumbing,
pipefitting, electrical, sheet metal or refrigeration. Some work in building
maintenance, others specialize in repairing small, portable refrigeration and
freezing units. Apprenticeship is required after graduation, for those who wish
to become tradespersons.
