Valley College students and instructors were recently mentioned in the Princeton Times regarding the success of the fairly new HVAC program at the Princeton campus that first began in January 2015. Valley College Campus Director Carrie Kennedy and HVAC Instructor James Caskey mentioned in the article, “that an education is more than hanging a diploma on the wall, but it’s about getting a sustainable job that will meet the needs of the student upon graduation.”

HVAC education has changed dramatically since HVAC’s Instructor James Caskey was starting out in the field. Caskey said, “When I got into HVAC, there were no schools where you could learn how to do this,” he said. “It took me a lifetime to learn everything that I know how to do.”

The recently renovated HVAC classrooms and labs at 617 Mercer St, Princeton, offer students real hands-on experience to work on various HVAC units and components. The HVAC program at Valley College teaches students not only about air conditioning repair and maintenance, but also about refrigeration, gas heating, oil heating, and maintenance for the equipment inside commercial ice-makers.

Instructor Caskey said the HVAC technicians he knew earlier in his career would only specialize in one segment of the industry, but today HVAC techs need to know how to handle everything.

The first graduating HVAC class of six from the Princeton campus graduated October 15th, 2015, and so far two members of that class are already employed. Caskey and Kennedy are positive these graduates and future ones will find success within the HVAC industry.

Quotes: Princeton Times article, “Valley College provides hands-on training for future worker”