Johnson Controls donated equipment to the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA). The donation of six fan-coil cooling units will support the association’s education and training program for the industry’s next generation of technicians.

“Johnson Controls is always looking for talented and skilled professionals to join our staff,” said James Mylett, vice president, field and business operations service, North America, Johnson Controls Building Efficiency. “Educating the next generation of technicians is essential to provide the level of knowledge and services that customers expect in the building-systems industry.”

The donated units will be used in the association’s annual International Apprentice Contest held each summer in Ann Arbor, Mich. The contest engages exemplary trainees in the areas of HVAC, pipe fitting, plumbing, sprinkler fitting, and welding. Contestants must work their way to the international competition by first winning events at the local and regional levels. The competition includes a written examination as well as a hands-on contest, which tests general and trade-specific knowledge. HVAC apprentices will ultimately be asked to correctly diagnose and repair pipe-cooling units donated by Johnson Controls.

The HVAC apprentice competition in 2012 was won by Neil Mani, an employee of Johnson Controls, from among a field of 3,300 union HVAC apprentices. He has since graduated to journeyman, working in the Madison, Wis., area.

Publication date: 6/24/2013 

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