Falls Church, Va. – The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC) National Association Educational Foundation announces its third annual HVAC Apprentice Contest on Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2015 during PHCC's CONNECT 2015 in Hollywood, Florida.

The HVAC Contest features the nation's top 15 HVAC apprentices in a hands-on competition that comprises six events: brazing, where contestants assemble a refrigeration circuit with components following a drawing; refrigerant recovery and identification; a written knowledge test; an opportunity to take readings on a working package unit and make relevant calculations to determine system operation parameters; electrical troubleshooting; and basic electrical skills and wiring.

Last year’s winner, Leroy Friend, a technician with Shapiro & Duncan in Rockville, Maryland, won a $4,000+ prize package of state-of-the-art tools. Among the tools he received were refrigeration gauges, hand tools, a drill, an infrared thermometer, a gas detection kit, a multimeter and a camera with a telescopic head that Friend uses to look into heat exchangers.

Friend's supervisor and the service manager at his company, Don Jenkins sees great value in this particular perk and encourages local suppliers to continue supporting the contest by donating tools.“Knowledge is great, but it's only as good as the tools that you use,” he says, adding that manufacturers are constantly coming out with “newer stuff that's faster and easier to use” and that education and hands-on exposure among the workforce is critical.

In addition to the actual contest, contestants have the opportunity to attend special educational seminars at CONNECT, complete with peer-to-peer networking and exposure to the latest technologies and products available.

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