Did You Know?-The ESCO HVAC Podcast

In this energetic, on-location episode, we head to the 2026 United Association ITP Week and Apprenticeship Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Clifton sits down with Ryan, last year's international competition winner turned mentor, and a table full of fourth- and fifth-year apprentices from across the U.S. and Canada. We dig into what it really takes to compete at the state, regional and international levels, and why this week is as much about brotherhood as it is about skill.We explore:• What the UA apprenticeship competition looks like from the state level all the way to internationals• Why so many technicians make the leap from residential to union commercial and industrial work• The variety and depth HVAC/R offers, from rooftops to grocery to institutional refrigeration• How mentorship and continual training keep technicians from hitting a career plateau• Why AI-driven data centers are becoming the next big opportunity for skilled UA contractorsRyan and the competitors share candid stories about how they found the trade, what keeps them motivated and the advice they'd give anyone feeling stuck or unsure of their next step. Whether you're an apprentice, a contractor or an educator, this episode offers a firsthand look at the passion and community driving the next generation of the trade.#HVAC #UA #Apprenticeship #ESCO #ESCOInstitute #SkilledTrades--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎥 This Week’s Video is Brought to You By Our Amazing Sponsors!A huge THANK YOU to this week’s sponsors for supporting education and excellence in the HVACR industry! 👇💨 Daikin Comfort — https://daikincomfort.com / @DaikinComfort — Delivering comfort, efficiency and innovation through advanced HVAC technology.🧰 Service Logic — https://www.servicelogic.com / @ServiceLogic-CommercialHVAC — The nation’s largest privately held HVAC service company — keeping facilities efficient and reliable.🌎 Hudson Technologies — https://www.hudsontech.com / @HudsonTechnologies — Leading the charge in sustainable refrigerant management and recovery solutions.📚 iConnect Training — https://iconnecttraining.com / @iconnecttraining — Providing world-class hands-on HVACR education and training resources for future technicians.🔧 The United Association (UA) — https://ua.org / @UAPipeTrades — Building America’s skilled workforce through premier training for plumbers, fitters, welders and HVACR professionals.👏 We’re grateful for their continued support in helping advance the HVACR industry through training, innovation and opportunity!#HVAC #HVACTechnician #HVACTraining #DaikinComfort #ServiceLogic #HudsonTechnologies #iConnectTraining #UnitedAssociation #HVACCommunity #TradeEducation #HVACR #Refrigeration #Technology #FutureOfHVACR #EcoFriendly #ContinuousEducation #StayCurrent

Live from the UA Instructor Training Program, we chat with Joe Fernandez Jr. about the trade that's increasingly overlapping with HVAC: plumbing. We dig into how heat pump water heaters are reshaping expectations for both plumbers and HVAC techs, and why education and service are driving the transition.We explore:• Why heat pump water heaters are already the norm overseas and gaining ground in the U.S.• The consumer pushback around upfront cost, and how technicians can educate customers• How building a plumbing service program from the ground up transformed one UA local from 5% to over 40% service work• Why service work is recession-resistant, and how the 2008 downturn and COVID-19 reshaped training priorities• The growing emphasis on soft skills and customer communication alongside technical training• How the UA is expanding curriculum with branch classes for specialized service skillsJoe shares hard-won lessons from over 30 years in the trade, including how his local rebuilt around service work after the 2008 crash and why "getting comfortable with being uncomfortable" has become a guiding philosophy for training the next generation. Whether you're a contractor, instructor or technician navigating the shift toward electrification and service-based work, this episode offers practical insight into where the trades are headed.#HVAC #Plumbing #ESCO #ESCOInstitute #UnitedAssociation--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎥 This Week’s Video is Brought to You By Our Amazing Sponsors!A huge THANK YOU to this week’s sponsors for supporting education and excellence in the HVACR industry! 👇💨 Daikin Comfort — https://daikincomfort.com / @DaikinComfort — Delivering comfort, efficiency and innovation through advanced HVAC technology.🧰 Service Logic — https://www.servicelogic.com / @ServiceLogic-CommercialHVAC — The nation’s largest privately held HVAC service company — keeping facilities efficient and reliable.🌎 Hudson Technologies — https://www.hudsontech.com / @HudsonTechnologies — Leading the charge in sustainable refrigerant management and recovery solutions.📚 iConnect Training — https://iconnecttraining.com / @iconnecttraining — Providing world-class hands-on HVACR education and training resources for future technicians.🔧 The United Association (UA) — https://ua.org / @UAPipeTrades — Building America’s skilled workforce through premier training for plumbers, fitters, welders and HVACR professionals.👏 We’re grateful for their continued support in helping advance the HVACR industry through training, innovation and opportunity!#HVAC #HVACTechnician #HVACTraining #DaikinComfort #ServiceLogic #HudsonTechnologies #iConnectTraining #UnitedAssociation #HVACCommunity #TradeEducation #HVACR #Refrigeration #Technology #FutureOfHVACR #EcoFriendly #ContinuousEducation #StayCurrent

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Rob Vilches, training specialist with the United Association (UA), live from the 2026 UA Instructor Training Program (ITP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With roughly 2,200 UA instructors on campus and over 400,000 members across the U.S. and Canada, the UA quietly runs one of the largest training operations in the skilled trades.Rob breaks down:• How the UA trains the trainers, turning field technicians into skilled classroom instructors• How the Future Instructor Program identifies and develops leadership potential in fourth- and fifth-year apprentices• Why so many technicians are already "teaching" without realizing it• The culture shift within the trades toward treating apprentices with respect and long-term vision• The UA's Pipe Pals initiative, tackling mental health and suicide prevention head-on with peer supportRob shares personal insight into how the UA is reshaping its culture from the ground up. He emphasizes that great instructors and a healthier industry start with recognizing the mentors already among us. Whether you're a technician who's never thought of yourself as a teacher or an industry leader looking to build a stronger pipeline of educators, this episode offers a powerful look at what's possible when an organization puts people first.Learn more at ua.org.#HVAC #SkilledTrades #UnitedAssociation #Instructors #ESCO #ESCOInstitute--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎥 This Week’s Video is Brought to You By Our Amazing Sponsors!A huge THANK YOU to this week’s sponsors for supporting education and excellence in the HVACR industry! 👇💨 Daikin Comfort — https://daikincomfort.com / @DaikinComfort — Delivering comfort, efficiency and innovation through advanced HVAC technology.🧰 Service Logic — https://www.servicelogic.com / @ServiceLogic-CommercialHVAC — The nation’s largest privately held HVAC service company — keeping facilities efficient and reliable.🌎 Hudson Technologies — https://www.hudsontech.com / @HudsonTechnologies — Leading the charge in sustainable refrigerant management and recovery solutions.📚 iConnect Training — https://iconnecttraining.com / @iconnecttraining — Providing world-class hands-on HVACR education and training resources for future technicians.🔧 The United Association (UA) — https://ua.org / @UAPipeTrades — Building America’s skilled workforce through premier training for plumbers, fitters, welders and HVACR professionals.👏 We’re grateful for their continued support in helping advance the HVACR industry through training, innovation and opportunity!#HVAC #HVACTechnician #HVACTraining #DaikinComfort #ServiceLogic #HudsonTechnologies #iConnectTraining #UnitedAssociation #HVACCommunity #TradeEducation #HVACR #Refrigeration #Technology #FutureOfHVACR #EcoFriendly #ContinuousEducation #StayCurrent

In this candid episode, we sit down with Jess Slade, a fourth-year pipefitting apprentice at UA Local 502 in Louisville, KY. She’s a participant in the UA's Future Instructors program, part of an effort to train the next generation of trade educators from within the apprenticeship pipeline.We discuss:• How the Future Instructors program identifies apprentices with leadership potential and develops them into educators while they're still completing their training• Why the industry's instructor shortage is just as urgent as its labor shortage, and how programs like this are addressing it• The power of dual mentorship, where younger apprentices help veteran instructors adapt to new technology while learning trade skills in return• How generational differences in learning styles, communication and emotional intelligence are reshaping classroom instruction• Why understanding "the why" behind technical training builds more capable, more invested tradespeopleJess offers a refreshingly honest perspective on what it's like to be young in the trades today, the value of mentorship in both directions and why she believes her generation is poised to make a lasting impact on the industry. Whether you're an instructor navigating new technology or a young tradesperson considering a path into teaching, this episode offers real insight into where trades education is headed.#Trades #Apprenticeship #ESCO #ESCOInstitute #UnionTrades #TradeEducation--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎥 This Week’s Video is Brought to You By Our Amazing Sponsors!A huge THANK YOU to this week’s sponsors for supporting education and excellence in the HVACR industry! 👇💨 Daikin Comfort — https://daikincomfort.com / @DaikinComfort — Delivering comfort, efficiency and innovation through advanced HVAC technology.🧰 Service Logic — https://www.servicelogic.com / @ServiceLogic-CommercialHVAC — The nation’s largest privately held HVAC service company — keeping facilities efficient and reliable.🌎 Hudson Technologies — https://www.hudsontech.com / @HudsonTechnologies — Leading the charge in sustainable refrigerant management and recovery solutions.📚 iConnect Training — https://iconnecttraining.com / @iconnecttraining — Providing world-class hands-on HVACR education and training resources for future technicians.🔧 The United Association (UA) — https://ua.org / @UAPipeTrades — Building America’s skilled workforce through premier training for plumbers, fitters, welders and HVACR professionals.👏 We’re grateful for their continued support in helping advance the HVACR industry through training, innovation and opportunity!#HVAC #HVACTechnician #HVACTraining #DaikinComfort #ServiceLogic #HudsonTechnologies #iConnectTraining #UnitedAssociation #HVACCommunity #TradeEducation #HVACR #Refrigeration #Technology #FutureOfHVACR #EcoFriendly #ContinuousEducation #StayCurrent

In this episode, recorded live at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, we sit down with Aaron Wright, HVAC instructor at Delcastle Technical High School, to talk about what it takes to build a thriving vocational program.We explore:• How Delcastle's exploratory model lets freshmen sample HVAC alongside other career pathways before committing• The "GAD score" system schools use to place students into high-demand programs like HVAC• Turning classroom skills into real jobs through resume prep and interview practice• Why employer partnerships and structured co-op schedules are key to getting students real-world experience• The hands-on projects — brazing, electrical, sheet metal — that hook students in just a few days• How coming up through the trades himself has shaped Aaron's approach to mentoring the next generation of techsAaron shares practical advice for instructors, school administrators and industry partners looking to build or strengthen their own CTE and apprenticeship pipelines. If you’re looking to connect with student talent, this episode offers a candid look at what's working on the ground.#HVAC #CTE #SkillsUSA #ESCO #ESCOInstitute #HVACTechnician--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎥 This Week’s Video is Brought to You By Our Amazing Sponsors!A huge THANK YOU to this week’s sponsors for supporting education and excellence in the HVACR industry! 👇💨 Daikin Comfort — https://daikincomfort.com / @DaikinComfort — Delivering comfort, efficiency and innovation through advanced HVAC technology.🏫 Lincoln Tech — https://www.lincolntech.edu / @LincolnTech — Training the next generation of skilled HVACR professionals through hands-on career education.🧰 NAVAC — https://navacglobal.com / @NAVAC — Revolutionizing the HVACR service industry with smart, efficient and reliable tools for technicians.⚙️ Amatrol — https://amatrol.com / @Amatrol — Providing world-class technical training systems that empower students and instructors in the skilled trades.🌎 A-Gas — https://www.agas.com / @a-gas8684 — Leading the way in sustainable refrigerant lifecycle management and environmental responsibility.👏 Thank you to all our sponsors for supporting education, innovation and growth in the HVACR industry!#HVACTechnician #HVACTraining #LincolnTech #NAVAC #Amatrol #AGas #HVACCommunity #TradeEducation #HVACInnovation #HVACR #Refrigeration #Technology #FutureOfHVACR #EcoFriendly #ContinuousEducation #StayCurrent