Shawn Gainers, a 2004 graduate of NEFBA’s HVAC apprenticeship program, is the founder and owner of One Touch Heating and Cooling. He is now sponsoring his son in the apprenticeship program and is a strong proponent of the training and the career opportunities. He shares his unique perspective on the program and the possibilities.
Q: Why did you decide to enter the NEFBA Apprenticeship Program?
A: My brother, Dewayne, was a graduate of the NEFBA program, and he owned his own company. I had worked for him during the summers. I liked the work and I saw the kind of lifestyle my brother enjoyed because of it.
Q: What do you see as the most important benefit of the NEFBA program?
A: The best thing about the program is that it combines book knowledge from the classroom with the mechanical knowledge from the field so that you become much more than a parts changer. You understand the physics of the repair. That gives you a definite edge on the job. You know why you are doing what you’re doing and you know how to do it. The program was excellent preparation for passing exams — I passed them on my first try — and for doing the job.
Q: What would you tell someone considering the program?
A: I would tell anyone what I told my son, Jonathon. It’s a great career choice. He went with me on service calls when I was working at the Carriage Club, a large retirement community on the Southside, and when I would help our neighbors with their air-conditioning problems. He developed an interest, is mechanically inclined and has experienced the good living the business has provided our family.
Q: Do you think the apprentice program is relevant today? If so, why?
A: I think it’s the best path to a career in the trades. The four years are geared to give an apprentice time to absorb all the technical and theoretical knowledge and to gain hands-on experience. As an employer, I’ve hired technicians trained in a shorter time frame, and at much greater expense, and although they had completed their programs with good grades, they were not able to perform well in the field. NEFBA’s program requires an investment of time and you are paid for learning and training. When you graduate, you are well prepared and on the path to a good job and a career that is limited only by your own motivation and desire to get ahead.