Written on: February 17, 2025 by Alan Mercurio
You have had a long career as a technician and then a trainer of technicians. Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I started in this trade some 36 years ago as a field tech in training. Within eight years, I was promoted to Service Manager, overseeing five techs and 3,000 customers. From there, I accepted a position as Regional Technical Representative in the Mid-Atlantic region for Wayne Combustion. Not long after that, I made the decision to start my own business providing training and consulting in the HVAC industry.
Eventually PPATEC became one of my largest clients and, as many know, four years ago I accepted a position as its full-time lead technical trainer, with an agreement that Oil Tech Talk would continue to operate as a separate entity within our industry. The synergy between the two has proven to be very successful for both, in our mission and passion to provide the highest level of quality training and education for our industry.
You are currently with PPATEC, which has a wide range of mechanical trade pathways for students. Can you tell us about the school and what your role is there?
I’m currently the lead technical trainer at PPATEC. My primary role is to provide training. I hold classes that range from a single day, to three days and up to two weeks. They all include hands-on training in our state-of-the-art, live fire lab at our premier training facility.
In addition to training, my responsibilities include creating and updating curriculum, as needed. I maintain the classroom, the lab and lab equipment, coordinating /overseeing the other instructors/manufactures that provide training at our facility.
Finally, I continue to provide consulting services to our industry members and associates, those services are currently billed through PPA.
What do you find are the reasons students are attracted to HVAC careers?
I continue to see an increased interest in those graduating high school, and especially vocational school graduates, looking to get into the trades. This is often because they are looking for jobs where they can apply both their minds and their hands, knowing they will likely have a variety of tasks on a daily basis, as well as the opportunity to meet many different people that they perform services for.
Over the past several years, I’ve also noticed a number of companies that have been cross-training their delivery drivers into the service side of the business. This has made it possible to keep them busy in the Spring and Summer months, not having to lay them off and not having to hire techs for part-time positions, which is not something most are looking for.
Finally, I’ve also seen that some of the students are people transitioning from jobs outside of the industry, where they were laid off or the company simply went out of business.
In your time, have you seen any changes or evolution in how classes are taught and how students learn?
Yes, more and more I see students that are more visual learners, whether it be video training or showing them animations of how components and systems work. Of course, hands-on [learning] always has been and remains at the top of the list, but we are very fortunate that PPATEC can meet all those needs through our premier training facility.
Have you experienced any changes in curriculum?
I’d say some of the biggest changes to the curriculum have been ensuring it includes the most current information with regard to controls and systems and how they operate, having a curriculum that’s more interactive—be it online or with the use of simulators—and most recently curriculum being offered via Zoom sessions.
Does PPATEC offer any certifications?
Yes, PPATEC offers a variety of certification classes, from the NORA Bronze to classes that are recognized by NORA for obtaining CEUs, we also offer classes for A/C certification, such the EPA 608 and A2L Certification, and we offer Certified Employee Training Program (CETP) for those working with Propane or NG, and finally driver compliance classes and for those holding CDL.
How has NORA contributed to your training program?
I’d say by making training materials such as the NORA Silver OTM, individual manuals for the advanced courses and informative pamphlets affordable or, in some cases, available at no cost. Also, NORA further contributes by providing generous rebates that companies can take advantage of, making their investment in training a more viable and affordable option.
Are students able to find employment easily?
Many of the students that attend our courses are already employed. With that said, since starting our 10-Week Workforce Development Program a little over four years ago and having over 450+ PPA/PPATEC members, the students that graduate from that program are often hired by several of our members.
What do you think the industry could do to prepare students to begin or advance their careers?
Years ago OESP (formally NAOHSM) had established an “adopt a vocational school” program; this involved a person or persons adopting a school to assist in getting that school the equipment and materials needed to run a successful HVAC program, taking time to teach some classes, being involved in all the career day events and helping create a curriculum that is consistent with our industry’s current curriculum. This is something we had done in the past, and some may still be doing it, but I just don’t see it being done to the same degree anymore.
It would be beneficial if adopters stayed involved from the start of a semester to graduation, being the one to take a student by the hand and walk them over the bridge from vocational school to their full-time careers in the HVAC industry. They could perhaps take that a step further and stay in touch with the student, occasionally checking in to see how they are doing in their new career and be one of their mentors in life.
On a more personal level, what have you found to be the most gratifying aspect of your career as a trainer?
A few things come to mind. Of the thousands of technicians whom I’ve had the privilege of being a part of their training and continued education, it’s been gratifying to see many of them continue their career path in our industry, continue to improve in their skills as a technician, and in some cases, be promoted to lead technician or service manager. There are some who have even taken jobs as technical trainers themselves.
The other gratifying thing is the techs who reach out to me months or years later, just looking for some assistance or advice. They remember that one of the most important lessons I taught them was a willingness to admit when they don’t know something, and most importantly, be willing to ask someone. I encourage all my fellow technicians to never stop asking questions.
So now that you’re retiring, what’s next for Alan Mercurio, our friend in the industry?
Well, first and foremost, I look forward to spending more time with my kids and grandchildren. I will, however, remain actively involved with our industry via some of our industry organizations.
I’ll continue to offer training and consulting services on a very limited basis with PPATEC and a few manufacturers that have expressed interest in having me be available to them.
I’ve also created an Oil Tech Talk YouTube Channel; I hope to create enough content to have a weekly tech tip and/or a “Did you know?” or FYI session. These would be no longer than 15 minutes. My hope is that they prove to be useful and helpful to my fellow techs. ICM
