The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) presented its annual HVAC Instructor of the Year Award to Victor Schmidt, a teacher at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, since 2001. The recognition occurred Oct. 1 during PHCCCONNECT2020.
An instructor for the PHCC of Iowa’s apprentice program since 2009, Schmidt has proven himself to be a dedicated educator committed to the process of recruiting high school students into the trades. He demonstrated his passion by once building a control circuit game to create a hands-on experience for students to engage them and help them better understand the trade.
Not only has he proven himself to be a caring teacher to his students, he has also proven to be a valuable spokesperson for the HVAC industry in general. He is constantly promoting the importance of a career in the trades and always encouraging his students to develop their skills which will pave the way for a successful future.
During the awards presentation, Schmidt was praised for his dedication to students during school and beyond, and in support of the industry. As the awards introduction stated: “Vic is constantly reminding students that, as part of the HVAC industry, they have a unique opportunity to consistently display important skills that put them a step above the rest,”
Apprenticeship Ratios: Advocating for Change to Meet Demand
July 2, 2019
This recent artcle from PHCC National outlines how states are working to enhance opportunities for workforce development. PHCC of Iowa's Executive Director, Kevin Kruse, is featured.
The 1:1 ratio is in place in Iowa, but Kevin Kruse, executive director of PHCC of Iowa, says that the ratio is a challenge for small companies in his state. “Our chapter and members have been working for two years to change the ratio to two apprentices for one journeyman,” he says.
The state guidelines follow the federal DOL guidelines, but Kruse says that the chapter has asked the DOL regional director to approve a variance for the PHCC of Iowa apprenticeship program that would allow the 2:1 ratio to apply. “The national standard is fine, but we believe the regional directors should be able to make these decisions at a local level because they understand how needs vary from state to state based on population, rate of growth, availability of workforce, and quality of apprentice program,” says Kruse.
"Apprenticeship Ratios: Advocating for change to meet demand." PHCC Solutions Summer 2019
