What is Service and Refrigeration?

Can you imagine working in a building without heated or cooled air? What would life be like without refrigerators or freezers? Almost everything we do every day depends on heating and cooling systems being up and running. These systems make buildings comfortable and safe. They prolong the life of foods and keep medicines and blood supplies at safe temperatures. Demand for skilled technicians in this field is high. As a service and refrigeration technician you'll

• Lay out and connect piping systems
• Leak test piping and equipment
• Clear and charge systems with refrigerant
• Service and test electrical components
• Connect pressure testing equipment
• Measure system performance
• Diagnose system malfunctions

You will work on a variety of job sites. You may install and test systems to ensure that they are operating safely and efficiently. You may sometimes have to work in dangerous conditions, for example, during a storm. The work is always exciting and challenging and your services will always be in demand.

Opportunities in this field include:

• Installer
• Service technician
• System evaluator
• Energy consumption manager

Get an Inside Look!

For a quick look into the experience you will have as a Service & Refrigeration sheet metal worker, click here.

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Service and Refrigeration: Curriculum

• Electrical fundamentals
• Electrical troubleshooting
• Refrigeration principles
• Refrigeration system components. Operation and troubleshooting
• Air conditioning and air conditioning systems

Ready to Get Started?

If you're ready to learn more about a career in the sheet metal industry, complete the request for information form. We'll match you to a training center in your area. Your local training school or Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) will contact you in about a week.

Skilled Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Service Technicians are grounded in the principles of service, with a fundamental knowledge of:

• Blueprint reading;
• Performance and design of industry standard equipment;
• Principles of electrical motor operation;
• The dynamics of refrigeration;
• Maintenance, performance and repair of pneumatic and digital controls, motors, compressors, pumps, fans, ducts, pipes and switches.

ITI training puts special emphasis on developing independent and self-confident technicians who are conscientious about safe work and safe operations and capable of representing their employer directly with a customer.

How we can help your business? By providing your company with a highly-trained, productive, motivated and professional workforce. Click Play to find out more...

Core Curriculum

Your SMWIA apprenticeship blends hands-on practical work experience with classroom time and projects that challenge your creativity. ITI's Core Curriculum provides a complete overview of all aspects of sheet metal work. Instructors are industry professionals, graduates of the same kind of training. Your classroom is a state of the art lab—fully equipped with the same tools and instruments that are used every day on the job. Textbooks and teaching aids include the latest technology and practical applications. Advantages of SMWIA "can-do" approach—practical knowledge reinforced by hands-on experience, under the direction of the foremost leaders in the industry.

Our "can-do" system makes it easier to master:

• Practical math
• Computer-aided design (or CAD)
• Reading blueprints
• Care and use of tools
• Fabrication of materials into usable forms
• Installation techniques

Sheet Metal Math

Math is just another tool in your box. That's why ITI's Sheet Metal Math Curriculum is presented in a practical framework that enables students to easily understand its application. You will measure, calculate and figure so often on the job that it will quickly become second nature. You will learn the "tricks" of the trade for using math in your everyday tasks—

• Calculating angles and curves;
• Figuring areas and volumes;
• Establishing heat loads and much more—

with practical, simple math formulas.