re-training

[dave82323]

Right now is a good time of year to take techs and re-train them. At the company I work for we got techs that are very good with homeowners but need service help.. my guestion.. Does anyone have a form or link I can use to move these potential techs to the next level ? thanks to all in advance....

[NormChris]

That depends upon exactly what kind of service training they need. You are not being very specific. You need to identify the exact areas in which they need to improve. There are many service topics as well as levels of technical depth to which upgrade training is available.

Don't expect to be able to find what you want or what they need on the internet at no cost. I am a professional HVAC factory trainer and curriculum developer. Nobody works for free. There are costs to developing and delivering quality training. The costs incurred due to the lack of a trained service crew are even higher.

Norm

[ruger73]

i agree with norm on this i am the servce manager for my company in order to get your training first you need to see what you need trained in and then remember nothing is free education comes with a price tag but with that tag hopefully you will get qualified techs with will pay off in the long run for yourself and your company.

[docholiday]

If I may... You know a constant review of the fundimentals is always important. In many of my classes, I get techs who groan and slump when I start to cover the basics but find they are interested and asking more questions after reviewing them. They must be covered before we get into anything else since they justify everything we do.

Not to steal Norm's thunder, training is not a matter of re-training, it is lifelong as long as you are in this business. Norm and I are the only ones that know it all. (LOL, Dont start, I am just kidding). Many Distributors offer classes on different subjects. I encourage each technician to attend at least 2 per year regardless of his technial ability. The ones who dont feel they need it, need it the most.

Dr. Stanley said on Sunday (paraphrasing)that you will always be ahead of the game when you are goverened by principal and not by preference.

[dmoneyc22]

The only way to upgrade any training in this field is field knowlege on the job. if they need trainging in an area thats where you will discover it , however Norm is exactly correct

[bornriding]

I like & appreciate your answers, Docholiday

I also believe in constant training. And even though the basic principles ( electrical or refrigeration ) never change, there applications do. Reviewing basic principles should be done regularly as well as update training on new developments (e.g. r-410a) or training on specific problems that have developed in the course of business.
I constantly remind my students that the information that they have learned in my classes must be reviewed regularly.
Do not throw your books away, but review them often.

[Shophound]

At the rate things are changing in the trade, I can't see how any tech could be content resting on his laurels. Sooner or later he'll come across something that will eat his lunch, that a few hours in a class possibly would've given him a head's up.

I guess I speak from experience...

Good training not only covers the "how", but also the "why". It's not enough to know "how" to fix something without understanding "why" it failed initially. Add to that "how" to repair the failure, "how" to repair it to prevent a repeated failure, "why" you take these steps to ensure a quality repair, and "why" this is so important.

Also, though as doc said many techs seem to roll their eyes whenever the basics are reviewed, it's all too easy to let "how" override "why" to where even the seasoned need a refresher on the "why" so it will make the "how" go so much easier. It's just as important to know "why" a compressor failed as it is "how" to change a compressor out, so you'll know "how" to keep it from failing again.