Residential Trainees Begin Program

The Greater Michigan UA 190 Training Committee has established a special training program for current and incoming Residential Trainees that will work for our contractors in the residential marketplace. We recently indentured the first class of Trainees, taking in over 40 Residential Pipe Trades Workers.

The program was developed with a strong emphasis on "hands-on" instruction and what we will refer to as "Lab Work". It is the feeling of the Joint Residential Training Subcommittee that for this program to be effective for all concerned, trainees will be at the work-sites, after hours, in a classroom setting, reviewing and installing. This will enable them to have hands-on training that is impossible to get in a regular classroom setting.

First Michigan S.T.A.R. Testing PMC/UA 190 Contractor and Members

Recent Graduates of the Greater Michigan UA 190 Training Program and employees of PMC members Altech Mechanical, Inc. and Robertson-Morrison, Inc. were given the first S.T.A.R. Testing for Service and Air Conditioning/Heating Refrigeration Certification.

The new program, the UA S.T.A.R. Certification gives UA workers the edge in the competitive heating, cooling and refrigeration industry. As a UA service technician they can take the UA S.T.A.R. Certification exam and earn S.T.A.R. Certification, plus 30 college credits toward an Associates Degree in HVACR or Construction Supervision. The UA S.T.A.R. Program was developed jointly by the UA and Ferris State University - one of the most highly acclaimed providers of education programs in the heating and cooling industry.

As UA S.T.A.R. Certified technicians they'll find themselves in-demand in a high-tech, fast-growing industry that offers great potential for a lucrative and secure future. They prepare for the UA S.T.A.R. Certification exam throughout the 5-year apprenticeship at the local UA training school. Then they take the exam, receive certification and be among the most sought-after service technicians in the industry.

Robertson-Morrison, Inc. and Altech Mechanical, Inc. were the first MSCA/Greater Michigan MSCA Contractors to have their workers tested for the program. They will now be able to begin utilizing the logo to the left on their literature and trucks.