HVACR Offers Opportunities
When bitter cold lowers temperatures to 20-30 degrees below zero in the winter or the heat index soars to more than 100 degrees in the summer, heating and cooling equipment must function properly.
The need for highly skilled Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) technicians has never been greater. Despite the status of the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HVACR jobs are still available and the industry has not been affected by the downturn.
Instructors in the HVACR program, Greg Skudlarek, Hugo Morales and John Singel take pride in playing a role in educating students to meet those extreme challenges.
Scholarships, Grants
Skudlarek and the other HVAC lab instructors contend that Minneapolis College offers the most comprehensive training in Minnesota at less than a third of the cost of other HVACR training programs available in Minneapolis. Plus, Minneapolis College provides students the chance at qualifying for more than 20 HVAC specific scholarships and grants.
Minneapolis College HVACR program options include:
- A 2-year Associate Applied Science degree
- A 54-credit, 3-semester diploma in residential HVAC
- An 18-credit HVAC Generalist certificate
“What is unusual at the Minneapolis College HVACR Lab is that we have everything you can think of in the lab,” said Morales. “You have a wide range of equipment to work on. The 18-credit certificate allows for immediate employment in the HVAC field and it’s the only 18-credit certificate offered in Minnesota.”
More important, there is a demand for HVAC technicians. “Contractors are swamped and they’re hiring,” he said. “And it’s been hot, people are at home and doing projects and there is a need for HVAC service and installation.”
The HVAC lab will be fully operational this fall, with proper social distance and pandemic prevention policies in force.
Explore the HVACR options at Minneapolis College.
More about the HVACR Instructors at Minneapolis College:
Skudlarek grew up in Mount Vernon, Washington, where his dad owned a refrigeration business. He was handling tools at 12 and started as apprentice “when I could drive.” His career spans 40 years. Greg owns and operates a small HVACR business which he operates in the summer months.
Singel is a former Northwest Airline mechanic who retrained at Minneapolis College to become a Minneapolis Pipefitter. He switched careers to become an instructor after 8 years as a full time HVAC Technician. John is still a member of Local 539 Minneapolis Pipefitters.
Morales, the newest full time HVACR instructor, worked as a Refrigeration Technician for 5 years at Quality Refrigeration before switching to teaching. Hugo is also certified to teach OSHA 10 and 30 Construction Safety Training. Hugo is also a former student of Minneapolis College and still works for Quality Refrigeration in the summer months.
Jeff Carlson, a 1997 Minneapolis College graduate, teaches Supermarket Refrigeration and is the Refrigeration Specialist for Lunds & Byerlys supermarkets. Jeff has more than 20 years and is also a member of Local 539 Minneapolis Pipefitters.
Mike Wilson teaches Thermal Solar Heating and is the Technical Service Advisor/Technical Instructor at Dakota Supply Group with more than 40 years of experience in the HVAC Industry.