When you think of Ann Arbor Michigan, you think of Saturday mornings, huge crowds, and the Wolverines playing college football. However, during most of the year Ann Arbor is a quiet - mid west town. That is with exception to UA week (August 8-14), when thousands of people from around North America descend upon Ann Arbor for the United Association (UA) Instructor Training Program and Apprenticeship Contest. 

The UA Instructor Training Program (ITP) is a unique professional development opportunity for its members. This year there were almost 90 concurrent sessions. Some of the classes included;, Building Information Modeling, Hydronic Heating and Cooling, Centrifugal and Rotary Screw Chillers, Advanced HVACR Troubleshooting, Commercial Market Refrigeration, Teaching R-410A, Energy Auditing, Carbon Monoxide & Combustion Analysis, and Green Awareness. 

Every day the word “Green” enters our lives. We read about Green in the news, we see it on TV and we hear about it on the radio, but what is it and how does it affect us? When it comes to mechanicals, (HVAC/R, Plumbing and Electrical) “Green” means maximizing the energy efficiency of existing equipment, specifying the most efficient systems available for the application and the available budget, using renewable and sustainable fuel sources, and conserving water. The UA has made a commitment to be a leader in the green technology revolution. 

The UA was proud to unveil its second green mobile training center. This state of the art classroom includes in-floor radiant heat, radiant cooling above, and other state of the art equipment. Also on display was the “Green House” built by Hampden Engineering. This house will be used to trained technicians on energy auditing and other energy management procedures.

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To make certain that all of their members are fully trained in the latest green and sustainable technologies, they have added the Green Awareness course and certification to their apprenticeship program. This program was developed in partnership with the Green Mechanical Council, HVAC Excellence and Ferris State University. Along with the Instructor Training Program, the United Association International Apprenticeship Contest runs simultaneously. 

The HVACR service technician contest had several elements including: testing electrical knowledge, testing the ability to diagnose heat pumps, replacing the filter dryer on a Hussmann case, and a final project. The final project includes re-piping a light commercial refrigeration system, and the removal of a mechanical defrost timer to replace it with a digital control defrost device. 

The winner of this years HVACR service tech contest was David Fruehauf from local 22 in Buffalo, NY. The other district winners that participated are: Jeremy King (local 189 in Columbus, OH), Juan Ibarra (local 211 in Houston, TX), Daniel Glaves (local 597, Chicago, IL), Brad Taylor (local 598 in Yakima, WA) and John Wisman (local 787 in Brampton, ON). 

The UA apprenticeship contest draws support from across the industry. This years judges included: Stan Bandoski (Hampden Engineering), Jerry Weiss, Coy Gibson, Randy Petit, Turner Collins, Howard Weiss and Thomas Tebbe (HVAC Excellence), Warren Lupson (AHRI), and Patrick Murphy (NATE). 

When the UA met in Ann Arbor for the instructor training and apprenticeship contest, this was the 56th time they have done so. This year marked the 20th time they have convened in Ann Arbor for this event. Over 27,000 UA apprentices and 3,000 instructors and journey workers participate for college credits with the Great Lakes Training Center annually. The United Association is a trade union with over 350,000 members and growing. For more information visit www.ua.org
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