The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program is a program that has been around since the beginning of EC. In the last year, the program has made a turn around with a new hire.
Instructors who have been around for quite some time are excited of the hiring of Timothy Muckey.
“I’ve loved what he has done to this program,” Phyllis Bartel, ACR instructor, said. “The program has done a complete 180 and (it’s) an absolute breath of fresh air.”
The ACR program brings a lot to the table and affects many aspects of the environment.
“The ACR program consists of electrical, electronics, computers, IT and a lot more,” Muckey, ACR instructor, said. “It focuses on two core elements: energy efficiency and global climate change.”
In an economy still trying to get back to pre-2008 recession days, looking for a job in this field will not be a problem, Muckey said.
“Our students can get a job right out of the gate, our industry is extremely hungry for qualified people,” Muckey said.
Muckey added about 500 students go through the program every year. “The shops department has the highest completion and certificate rate on campus,” he said.
The ACR program will be moving into a brand new state of the art building in 2015.
“I think this is tremendous opportunity,” Muckey said. “If you are in an environment that prospers growth, it helps the students grow and opens doors for amazing opportunities to bring in big companies and contractors.”
Many instructors are excited for the fresh start in the new space. “I am so excited to move into the new building with all the new equipment and (it) will do wonders for this program,” Bartel said.
Not only are the professors excited about the building, but so are the students.
“We are getting a lot of new technology that will help train students for an evolving job market,” Tanya Borja, 21, business major, said.
The ACR program touches on many different courses such as physics, science, mathematics and English.
One of the main goals of the program is “taking our students and having them build their professions now and into the future by the resources available on the campus,” Muckey said.
The single most important thing about the ACR program is getting students a job, he added.
“There are so many students with degrees and no job,” Muckey said. “Our goal here is to get students jobs and set themselves up for the rest of their lives.”
