One thing all HVAC instructors agree upon is that one of the most important things they teach is safety.
"We're constantly quizzing our students about safety," said Les Haddix, an instructor at the Sequoia Institute in Fremont, Calif. "We show them videos on ladder safety, teach them to be conscious of loose clothing, we even tell them to make sure their shoes are tied. And then, of course, we test them on everything. Of course, we can't control what they do when they go into the real world and start working on the job. Hopefully, they'll be teamed with some seasoned pros who know the value of safe practices. But while we have them in class, we do everything we can to teach them to work safely."