LANSDOWNE, Va. - Larry Ball, winner of The NEWS’ 2009 “Best Instructor” contest, was officially honored at the 2010 HVACR and Plumbing Instructor Workshop, held March 24-26.

Ball works at Foothill High School in Henderson, Nev. By working with the local college, Ball not only brings students in younger, “he can give them credits that apply at the College of Southern Nevada,” pointed out NEWS service and maintenance editor Barbara Checket-Hanks. “If their parents wanted them to go to college, it’s a major draw. If not, the students can start their residential careers right after high school.”

The workshop continues to draw a strong, diverse crowd of attendees. The 2010 event focused on “Advancing Green Mechanical Concepts.” The numerous HVACR- and plumbing-specific technical sessions offered topics ranging from solar water heating to integrating green building practices into the curriculum. In addition to opportunities for networking, exhibitors provided attendees with practical information on a variety of topics and technology.

During the opening and closing sessions, Tom Applegate, senior director of business and industry initiatives for the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), discussed the changes in secondary and postsecondary education, pointing out practices by the best instructor winner Ball. A panel of industry experts described current issues instructors face in the classroom. During the closing session, Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA, provided an update on career and technical education at the federal level, as well as an update on SkillsUSA activities.

Renee Tomlinson, the Refrigeration Service Engineers’ Society (RSES) director of operations, and chair of the 2010 HVACR and Plumbing Instructor Workshop, reflected on this year’s workshop: “We have achieved our goal once again of providing an exceptional program for instructors and trainers in the HVACR and plumbing industries.

“The instructors of our industries will come away from this workshop with more knowledge and expertise to bring back to their classrooms, which will build a stronger, exceptional future workforce.”

The HVACR & Plumbing Instructor Workshop was sponsored by 11 organizations, including the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA); ACTE; the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); the Council of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators (CARE); Heating, Airconditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI); the Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI); the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers (NAOHSM); North American Technician Excellence (NATE); Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association (PHCC-NA) Educational Foundation; RSES; and SkillsUSA.

For more information, visit www.instructorworkshop.org.

Publication date: 05/24/2010