In today’s rapidly advancing world, technology continues to climb upward at a surprising pace. Among the fields in which technological advances are being made, HVAC development is one of the most consistent, with new systems being created practically yearly, expounding on preexisting standards and making them more user friendly. However, as such utilities begin to grow more advanced, so too must the technicians who will be charged with their maintenance and repair. As such, it is important for well trained technicians to keep up with the latest advanced. However, the rush is not always a smooth one, and recently, HVAC instructors have been scrambling to keep up with the changing times.
One of the problems that many experts believe will play a part in the struggling curricula is that with every digital advance made, the technology will move down the product line, to the point where most future systems will require more proprietary controls and more central proprietary software systems running the controls of the units. The average technician will need to be aware of the software changes in the HVACR industry as well as keeping true to the knowledge that he or she will possess concerning circuitry and basic problem solving.
IT training will need to become a standard part of the coursework, with particular attention paid to certain systems and their utilities. As such, many students will be divided in their interests and returning technicians may feel overwhelmed with the new requirements as even residential systems are slowly beginning to gear towards higher end software. A balance between the students, the educators, and the manufacturers must be reached in order for future technicians to smoothly integrate with new technological requirements.
However, many experts believe that as long as the fundamentals and the basics of HVAC systems, many technicians in the field will have no trouble adapting to the newest advances. Rudimentary troubleshooting procedures will remain the same, the only thing that will be required from future students and maintenance workers will be for them to keep up to date on standard models. No matter how difficult the initial learning curve may be, many expect that there will always be passionate students who are willing to rise to the occasion, and some may be as quick to adapt to these changes as others are to feel daunted by them. With an increase in industry standard, so too will the expertise and hands on knowledge of the trained technicians involved with the systems.
