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Background
In 1993 SORAC started training Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (R&AC) Technicians at the craft level. The institute was geared toward providing both theoretical & practical training. During the twenty five year period the institute has trained over one thousand craftsmen in this field. Since this institute has already had experience in the teaching of this course, it was easy for the Institute to adopt the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) as the final certification.
This institute has already been accepted by some of the major companies operating in the Air Conditioning business. The Institute has conducted training for employees in a number of companies as list below:
- Heritage (Formerly Petrotrin)
- Neal & Massy Wood Group
- Telecommunication Service of Trinidad & Tobago (TSTT)
- Trinmar
- Caroni(1975) Ltd.
- Tide water international
- Climate control
- Home Construction Ltd(HCL)
- Burmac Air Conditioning Ltd.
- Genesco Ltd
- Retraining unit YTEPP
Hallmark Of An Excellent Air Condition and Refrigeration Program.
In today’s world, there are several Air Conditioning and Refrigeration courses conducted and certified in Trinidad and Tobago. Some of these are presented as short courses while others are complete courses advertised as Level 1 or Level 2. But are they really up to an international standard for a Level 1 or Level 2 program.
In order to assist potential students in choosing the best Air Condition and Refrigeration program, SORAC would like to highlight the following points to consider before finalizing your choice of program and by extension the school where the program is being conducted.
Workshop Sessions (Practical)
First, check whether the institute has a well-equipped workshop. The practical sessions will assist students to easily understand the theoretical work. It would also provide workplace experiences such as installation, servicing, and repairs (both mechanical and electrical) as it relates to the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems.
Certification
Ensure that the certification is accepted by the industry and has the required quality assurance. It is better to choose certification with a guaranteed 70 percent practical assessment.
Instructor
There is a saying in the technical and vocational field that if the trainee has not learned, the instructor has not taught. How good the trainee is taught is a reflection on the type of experience and knowledge the instructor has in the field. How good the instructor determines how good you can become. Some institutes use an instructor who recently completed one of its courses. However, the instructor should be well qualified not only academically but must possess years of practical experience that he can share with his students. Potential students should enquire about the instructor’s qualifications. Take into consideration that qualified instructors will most likely be currently employed or have been employed and assessed by the Ministry of Education
Course Duration
Short courses are normally less than 100 contact hours. These courses may be purely theoretical with minimal practical classes; it would appear to be cheap but in the end would the certification be accepted and stand the rigors of the industry? Industry standards normally put potential employees on a practical test. Would this graduate be able to pass the test? A normal course should be about 300 contact hours or more with both theory and heavily biased towards practices in a workshop.
Course Objectives
The course objectives should be clearly defined. In other words, the students should know the outcomes at the end of the program. These should be understandable and direct so students will be aware of what they will be able to do at the end of the training and they can easily measure their progress as the course progresses.
Training Cost
The advertised cost of a training program is not the main factor when finalizing your choice of course. Other factors like duration, instructor qualifications and experience, workshop facilities, and previous graduates’ recommendations should be brought to the forefront when making a decision. Please note that practical sessions are far more expensive than theoretical classes that only involve classroom sessions. A program with both theory and practical training will always be more costly than one which is biased towards theory with little or no practical training.
In conclusion, one should always visit the institute to verify the suitability of the workshop to perform the relevant practicals, the instructor certification and experience, the clarity of the course objectives, and the cost per hour for training.