David Cain, CCC instructor, shows students how to wire an electrical switch for a home during last year’s Maintenance Technician training. The training this spring begins Jan. 25. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — On any given day, they could be fixing a broken faucet, or a heater that has gone out. Or, they could be repairing a broken window, or fixing a dishwasher on the fritz.
Maintenance Technicians for apartments, hotels and other commercial properties are continually in demand in northern Arizona, and Coconino Community College is offering a course, beginning Jan. 25, in Certified Maintenance Technician to help get people quickly into the workforce.
CCC is now in the ninth year of offering in the Maintenance Technician course in Flagstaff. The training lasts six weeks, and classes take place each day of the week starting at 8 a.m. Students learn a host of skills in electrical, plumbing, heating, construction, appliance, locks and more.
The training offers several certifications – CAMT, which is good in all 50 states, water and piping systems, refrigerants, appliance repair, computer literacy, OSHA 10, EPA608 and more. There is even training in “soft skills” to prepare graduates for job interviewing and interacting with customers.
The cost, which covers tuition and supplies, is $1,800, and if students qualify, the tuition is covered by grant funding through Coconino County Health and Human Services and ARIZONA@WORK.
The class size is limited to 15 students, and the most recent class had 60 applicants.
Kay Leum, executive director of Extended Learning at CCC, said, “Training the students in our county, to give them skills that are designed to get a job as soon as they complete, is critical, especially right now.”
Leum added that using education and training as a path to the workforce, and landing a good-paying job is what the Maintenance Technician course is all about.
“The students learn a complete set of skills,” Leum said. “It’s a package deal that is hard to find in many other programs, and all in six weeks.”
Additionally, the CCC instructors for the course are exceptional at mentoring students not only through the course, but also through the process of job placement, if needed.
Ken Myers, Career and Technical Education faculty at CCC said that more than 130 students have been through the program in Flagstaff, and another 23 students have been through the program in Page. Over the last nine years, approximately 70 percent of the students have passed the national certification exam, and in the past three years, 60 students have earned their OSHA10 certifications as well.
“Sixty percent of those students gained part-time or full-time employment in the field of maintenance,” Myers said, adding that the number could be higher, but he has not been able to track all of the students who have completed the requirements for the course.
In order for students to qualify for the class, they must attend an Information Session, this year, scheduled for two separate days. The first session is Dec. 16, 2020, noon to 1 p.m., or 6 to 7 p.m. The second session is Jan. 7, 2021, 3 to 4 p.m., or 5 to 6 p.m. All sessions are available through Zoom videoconferencing. Call (928) 645-3987 for meeting information.
For more information about careers and pathways to get into a job quickly, visit https://www.coconino.edu/pathways.