Students in Princeton’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning program have plenty of opportunities to learn practical skills and potentially earn a college scholarship.

HVAC is one of the programs offered by the Career and Technology Education (CATE) in Princeton ISD and lasts for two years. Students who participate in the program start when they are juniors and finish the program when they graduate in their senior year.

CATE Director Brett Hackman says the district HVAC program is very successful at finding students a program that matches their needs specifically, which is a result of the strong relationships the program has with local companies.

“It’s hard to open students’ eyes to the great potential that the program offers,” Hackman said. “We’ve got a lot of companies that we have setups with, but they each have different options they offer.”

One limitation for students who may want to work are legal requirements which require HVAC companies to offer employees an insurance policy. Under these circumstances, this means some students may not be able to work in school until they turn 18.

However, some companies will allow the students to work while they are in school albeit during the summer. Other companies the program partners with offer students who “sign” with them scholarships to finish their HVAC schooling.

For the full story, see the March 3 issue of the Princeton Herald.