On January 3 of this year, Halco welcomed the first class of 21 students at its new technical training school. Today, June 25, all 21 students graduated, and 16 are already employed in their new field.
Halco opened the school in partnership with Monroe Community College to train displaced and underemployed workers. Most were referred to the school by the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board, which helps retrain and place unemployed and underemployed workers. The official name of the course is MEPS Workforce Preparation Certificate program. MEPS stands for Mechanical (heating and air conditioning), electrical, plumbing and sprinklers.
The school is under the direction of Thomas Fitch from the MCC Workforce Development Department. Fitch also emceed the graduation ceremony, which was held at Halco’s headquarters on County Road #6 in Phelps.
James Winston, assistant to the president and director of workforce development at MCC, was the principal speaker. Winston commended the students for their hard work and diligence, noting that this class was quite unique, He said that a class with no attrition is at any level of education.
Besides earning a certificate for completing the course, students also earned the licenses and certifications needed to work on commercial construction jobs. Many also earned EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) refrigerant handling certification, which is also needed to work on residential air conditioning systems.
During the 1,000 hour course, the students spend 60 percent of the time in the classroom and 40 percent gaining hands-on experience.
The next class begins July 7 and runs for 25 weeks. For information, contact the MCC Office of Workforce Development or Halco.
