MIDLAND, Texas — Today was graduation day for Skillpoint Alliance Permian Basin’s first HVAC technician class, and those involved couldn’t be any happier.
“I feel great," said Adrian Garcia, one of the course participants. "I want to get into a company already and start to work. My goal is to get my contractor’s license, and I feel like more people should get into this trade, because there’s a lot of demand. It’s good pay.”
The program is a free five-week course that covers basic construction training and level one HVAC technician training.
Skillpoint Alliance is able to offer the course for free thanks to funding from the the Permian Basin Strategic Partnership.
The organization's goal is to help with labor shortages in the Permian Basin by providing the average person easier access to skilled trades training.
“For the community, what we're doing is we're providing positions and upward mobility for the skilled trade sector,” said Blair Flanagan, the Permian Basin site director for Skillpoint Alliance.
They also want to show people that after high school there are still career opportunities besides college.
“A lot of people have gone onto the path where they think that college is the only option for them once they graduate from high school, and that's just not the case," said Flanagan. "And so we're providing this program to people who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to do something like this.”
If you'd like to learn more about the program, visit Skillpoint Alliance's website by clicking or tapping here.