Tuesday, June 09, 2009
 
sponsored by Graue Inc.

Global Tech Training, local trade school, ready to start training students

Send a link to a friend

[June 09, 2009]  Joe Schneider is relieved that after months of waiting for the state to approve his trade school, he can finally begin classes.

DonutsSchneider, born and raised in Lincoln, is not new to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning trade. He began his career in 1978 with Cotton Mechanical, where he worked for seven years.

He and his brother, Mike, then formed Schneider Bros. Heating and Cooling, but according to Joe, Mike soon found out that climbing through crawl spaces and in old attics was not what he wanted to do for a living. Joe kept the business name and owned and operated Schneider Bros. from 1984 until 2000.

Exterminator

In 2000, Schneider went to work for Midwest Technical Institute, then located in Lincoln, and was their HVAC instructor. When the school moved to Springfield, Joe went with them for a while, but he knew there was a need for a local trade school.

And so, at the end of 2008, he started working with Reggie Payne, the owner of R.A. Mechanical, to use a portion of the property at 203 S. Logan for a school. Last fall, along with partner Mark Defrates, originally from Springfield and the operator of Delta Tech School in New Haven, Miss., the pair began the long process of being approved by the state. Now that the approval has finally come through, the two are ready to start offering classes.

Schneider says that the class size will be limited to a maximum of 10 students to make sure students receive the one-on-one training that is important in such a school.

Unlike conventional schools, Global Tech Training is not subject to only offering courses at specific times or dates. When enough students enroll for a class, the course will begin.

Schneider also says that to help students get this important training even if they have other obligations or jobs, there will be morning, afternoon and evening courses available.

The course is extensive and runs 15 weeks, four days a week, four hours per day. The classroom training is more than 50 percent hands-on, with students working on and repairing working units that have been rendered inoperable by the instructors. Students learn to troubleshoot and repair units under realistic conditions.

[to top of second column]

Auto Sales

Joe pointed out that not everyone wants to or is suited to attend college, and he explained that the certifications graduates receive from Global Tech are valid anywhere in the U.S. and in the world. Certifications that students can receive upon graduation include EPA certification, refrigerant handling, HVAC excellence, electrical troubleshooting, heat pump and more.

Schneider says there is always a strong interest in the trades from students graduating from high school. But in the current economic climate there is a strong interest from laid-off or displaced workers needing to learn a new trade that will allow them to re-enter the work force with a new skill. And right now HVAC skills look to hold a promising future.

Water

The U.S. Department of labor says that roughly forty percent of the HVACR industry is eligible to retire in the next decade. During this same period of time, the industry is set to grow by eighteen percent to twenty-six percent. If these numbers hold true, the country will need to recruit and train sixty-six percent of the current industry workforce to fill the need for new technicians.

The school soon intends to expand into all the mechanical trades, such as plumbing, electrical and welding.

Schneider explained the importance of the trade school compared with other schools of higher learning. "Even at the junior college level, schools are requiring master's degrees to teach courses," he said. "Not many tradesmen have master's, but they have a lifetime of experience and knowledge that they can teach and pass on to new students."

Currently there is the possibility of financial aid from the Illinois workNet program as well as the Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois.

Schneider says anyone interested in learning more about obtaining a new trade or to discuss the finances of going to the trade school can visit Global Tech to discuss the opportunities. The phone number for anyone wanting more information is 217-650-7652.

[By MIKE FAK]

< Top Stories index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching and Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law and Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health and Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor