Bringing “Real-World Learning” to the Next Level at CAT North

We are an AACPS: Business Partnership

In 2018, Mike McCafferty and David Sheppard were looking for a way to train the county’s 14 Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technicians on a new type of HVAC system: Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF). VRF allows for simultaneous heating and cooling with only one outdoor unit, allowing for more control in buildings where the temperature can vary from one area to the next. While the advanced system is perfect for school buildings, it requires extensive hands-on training to use and maintain. Trane, an HVAC company that has manufactured and installed over 140 machines in AACPS, offered to donate a VRF system that AACPS HVAC technicians could use to learn the new system.

Through continued collaboration, AACPS & Trane realized that the project could be re-imagined to engage students in real-world, hands-on learning. Working with Center of Applied Technology-North Principal Dan Schaffhauser, the team decided to have the new unit installed at CAT-North and to let CAT-North students be the ones to do the installation. CAT-North students in the HVAC program, along with students from the masonry, electrical, and plumbing programs, will work with mentors from Trane to install and set up a new VRF system at the school. Once complete, the system will be used to heat and cool areas of CAT-North and will be used as a training tool for future CAT-North students.

For CAT-North, the partnership is exciting because it gives students a learning experience that is as close to the real world as they can get inside a classroom. Students will review a request for proposal (RFP) similar to what they would come across in the technical industries, follow a schedule for installation, and be trained by Trane technicians.

For the team at Trane, partnering with the school system gives them a hand in preparing the future workforce of their industry. Andrew Garay, Account Manager for Maryland Trane, says, “It’s an opportunity to open some eyes a little wider. For [students] to have the ability to get a glimpse of the real world and spend some time with people in the industry–that’s the most exciting part [about this project].”