Charlotte Technical College Serving Charlotte and Surrounding Counties with High Skilled High Wage Job Training
The condition of Charlotte County's continued economic success is the ability to educate for the future of work. This in turn, requires the strengthening of career and technical education (CTE) programs and pathways in view of developing a robust system of increasing work based activities and partnerships. Among the list of the 23 programs hosted by Charlotte Technical College (CTC), this article will highlight Air Conditioning/Refrigeration/Heating Technology (HVAC), Solar Photovoltaic Installation and Maintenance and will share the progress of our upcoming program Aviation Airframe Mechanics.
HVAC trains students to become air conditioning mechanics and installers. This 750 hour program has a job training component which supports the 90% placement rate associated with the program. The program is supported by an advisory board which serves to not only employee our students but support the program with the specific needs of the industry so that we can adjust the curriculum and the training to meet the needs of the employers. According to Career Source Southwest Florida, Region 24 reports that between 2019 and 2027, the job market in this industry will continue to climb illustrating a 21.6% growth. This means that there will be approximately 3385 job openings in this industry with a median hourly wage at $21.20/hour. CTC will offer two sections of this program next year and will serve the high school population with the opportunity to dual enroll.
Solar Photovoltaic System Design, Installation and Maintenance is a 600 hour Energy training program that will prepare students to become Solar Photovoltaic Installers and other installation, maintenance and repair workers. Students who take this program will learn about all the aspects of the Solar industry including:
- Solar site surveys & design
- Hands on plumbing, electrical & battery storage labs
- In field installation training solar electric, hot water & solar pool systems
- Industry trends, manufacturing & federal tax credits
- Safety, tools & troubleshooting
- Graduate with NABCEP Associates Certification & OSHA certification.
This industry is one of the fastest growing industries with the U.S. gaining 156,000 solar jobs since 2010 which illustrates a 20% growth rate per year. About 16,000 jobs at solar installation companies focus on battery storage and one in 50 new U.S. jobs were in the solar industry. At CTC, this program enrolls adults and will begin accepting dual enrollment high school students for August enrollment.
Charlotte Technical College is on a forward track and is out of the gate on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) process to offer a certified aviation airframe mechanics program which will consist of 1350 hours to include General as well as Aviation Maintenance Airframe Tech I and Tech II. The program is on track to open in January of 2021 with adult enrollment and the following August with dual enrolled seniors. Since an Aviation Maintenance Technician School (AMTS) is certified and inspected by the FAA, satisfaction of FAR Part 147 requirements is the primary concern of our AMTS and will take precedence in our authorization to begin enrollment. CTC has completed gate one, which according to the FAA is titled the pre-application phase. This phase is followed by the formal documentation meeting and document compliance phase, followed by the demonstration phase and completes with the certification phase. CTC has hired a program manager certified in aviation maintenance and powerplant to guide us through the process. Thanks to the funding from the Florida Job Growth Workforce Training Grant prepared by Economic Development of Charlotte County, the special appropriations grant received last spring and referendum funding, we are ordering equipment and moving forward with this anchor program for Charlotte County. If you would like to receive updates about this program and may be interested in enrollment, please visit our website at charlottetechcollege.net and click on "Interested in an aviation career", located on our home page.
For additional information and enrollment please contact Cynthia Gulsby, adult career specialist or Barb McCauley, high school career specialist at 255-7500, OR visit charlottetechcollege.net. We are currently enrolling all programs at CTC for August for the exception of Aviation Maintenance.