Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning technician program draws on practical approach

1. Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician
Program Draws On Practical Approach
Ensuring that buildings are properly heated, refrigerated and air-conditioned comes
with a wide range of tasks. Among these are: designing and updating or modifying
building systems, calculating heat loads by sizing pipes, checking air distribution
ducts and equipment, planning site layouts and developing drawings using
computer-aided design software, developing refrigerants, selecting equipment to
meet the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) standards, installing, and
servicing. Additionally, professionals may work in sales, design, technical support, or
as maintenance personnel in residential, commercial, institutional and industrial
settings.
At Centennial College students may attend the two-year Heating, Refrigeration and
Air Conditioning Technician program to obtain the knowledge they need to complete
all of the above tasks and launch their careers. This is achieved through a series of
courses that include both lectures as well as lab work in which students get to apply
what they have learned. The practical aspects are important as students gain insight
into the tasks they may encounter in their positions.
Among the specific courses that students attend during their time in
the offering are: Acts, Regulations and Procedures (students learn to
identify regulations as applied to the Occupational Health and Safety
Act and pertinent codes, acts, regulations and legislation);
Fundamentals of Cooling Systems (students gain the ability to describe
the structure of matter, molecular motion, work and energy, thermal
energy and the change of state, laws of physics that relate to vapours
and gases); Mechanical Cooling Cycle (students learn operating
principles and function of compressors, metering devices, condensers,
evaporators and accessories used in a mechanical cooling cycle); and
many others.
Directly after completing all of their Heating, Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning courses, students may obtain employment as
heating technicians or through affiliated trade apprenticeships
in plumbing, pipefitting, electrical, sheet metal or refrigeration.
It is worth noting that apprenticeship is required after
graduation, for those who wish to become tradespersons.
To apply for this offering, students are required to have completed an
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student
status (19 years or older). In addition, they must have completed English
Grade 12 C or U credit, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take the
Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission; and the
Mathematics Grade 11 M or U, or 12 C or U credit, or equivalent (minimum
grade required) or take a Centennial College Engineering Math Skills
Assessment for Admission.