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HVAC-R Alum Karin Dahlin is Putting Her Trade Skills in Motion

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Karin Dahlin
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12/7/18

When 2018 Alum Karin Dahlin was researching new careers, trades were at the top of her list.

She was impressed with the local technical college community and the array of choices offered.

“I landed on Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) because the field offers an opportunity to learn a number of skills and is a growth industry with competitive pay.”

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Why Karin Chose Minneapolis College

“I decided on Minneapolis College after receiving a tour from HVACR faculty member Greg Skudlarek,” said Karin, who looked in to several schools before landing on Minneapolis College. “I was impressed with the state-of-the-art training facility and the location and class schedule offerings fit my needs.”

During her two years at the College, Karin learned to diagnose problems, perform repairs and conduct maintenance on residential and commercial heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. She also learned to fabricate sheet metal, copper, plastic and steel piping and work with advanced electrical controls, heat recovery ventilators, air cleaning devices, sophisticated air measurement equipment and carbon monoxide testing instruments.

“Minneapolis College's HVACR program recently received the highest-level accreditation from HVAC Excellence,” said Greg. “It’s one of only three programs in the state to receive this status and we credit our experienced faculty, advanced training lab and comprehensive programming for this accreditation.”

SkillsUSA Champion

SkillsUSA Winners

The SkillsUSA Championships draw more than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students from across the country to compete hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Prior to graduating in the spring of 2018, Karin decided join some of her classmates and test her skills during the competition. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry.

Karin placed second in her industry segment, the second woman ever to place in the top three in this competition during the last 30 years.

A Bright Future

Since graduating from Minneapolis College, Karin joined the Minneapolis Pipefitters Local 539 and is apprenticing with Northland Mechanical.

“I’m working full-time and taking additional classes at the JATC Training Center in Brooklyn Park,” said Karin. “The work is both challenging and interesting and offers a future filled with exciting opportunities.”

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