Money Is a Downside to Recertification

I hate to say it, but there is a small downside [to NATE certification]. The way NATE has evolved over the years and the fee structure that was not [versus the way it] is now.

I am in favor of testing a tech to check their knowledge, and NATE is a great way to do that. Techs that are NATE tested and certified are a great asset to you and your company.

When I first started to take the NATE tests myself, the requirement was to have 60 hours of NATE-approved training, submitted to NATE, and you were recertified for another five years — with no additional cost!

Now, the process is the same but you must pay, I think, $95 per certification to be recertified. In my case, that is approximately $1,000 out of my pocket. My bet is that there will be a quantity of techs that once they find out that they have to pay a lot of money every five years to maintain their certifications, will drop out unless the company will pay for them.

What do you guys think?

Tony Owens
HVACR program director at Kaplan University
Dayton, Ohio, area

Publication date: 7/16/2012