Five Newly Certified Major Appliance Technicians

April 23, 2015

The next time your refrigerator breaks, there’ll be more trained technicians around to quickly get you up and running again as five individuals have recently graduated from an intense four-week training program at Fred’s Appliance Academy in Ohio to become certified Major Appliance Technicians.

Jerome McNee, Robyn Smith Gibbons, Clifton Ross, Ian Tyree and Phillip Woolridge all took part in the initiative which was sponsored by the Department of Workforce Development who funded the men’s training.

An appliance repair technician installs and troubleshoots front and top load washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves and other large appliances for their customers.

They must know how to connect water or gas lines, and how to check for leaks once the appliances are installed. They instruct their customers on how to operate the appliances properly. Repair technicians must repair or replace any defective components found in appliances and must know how to dismantle and reassemble appliances to make their diagnosis.

“I understand from an industry partner that most of the current personnel filling these jobs are semi-retired or approaching retirement or are very busy and can’t meet the demand of the cliental,” explained the Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy.

“Therefore I commend the Department of Workforce Development for recognizing this potential gap in the workforce and directing resources towards the training of motivated Bermudians interested in this field of work.

“And, believe me, these guys are definitely motivated. I understand that some of them happened to be abroad conducting their training during the recent snow storms in March and, despite the bad weather and flight cancellations, they caught various shuttles and trains to ensure that they made it to their course on time.”

MAJOR_APPLIANCE_GRADUATES

The course the graduates undertook saw them gain the following certifications:

  • EPA R-410A Technician Certification
  • Major Appliance Technician Certification
  • Samsung Technician Certification

Three of the graduates have already been hired within the industry.

This initiative came about as a result of an industry partner, Bates Trading, looking for assistance in training a Bermudian in the field of ‘appliance technician’. As a result of surveying other industry partners in this field across the island it was ascertained that there was a shortage of trained technicians. This is where the Department of Workforce Development stepped in to try and fill the void for this under-served trade.

Similar training opportunities which have been funded by the Department of Workforce Development over the past few months were the Supervisory Custodial Management Course and Electrical Codeology training for electricians.

One of the graduates, Mr. Jerome McNee, said: “I would like to thank the Department of Workforce Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs for funding our training in the major appliance profession in Madison, Ohio. There is a demand for qualified service technicians and government answered the call by sending us to an industry-recognized institution to receive valuable training and knowledge.

“I would like to give a special thank you to Mr. Kenneth Bartram at the Department of Workforce Development who played a significant role in sending us overseas to receive the training.”

click here banner education

Read More About

Category: All, News, technology

Comments (14)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. David Henry says:

    All about building skill-sets. Hats off to you, fellas. Well done!

  2. PBanks says:

    Congratulations gents. May you find success in your field.

  3. I LOVE MY LIFE!! says:

    I’m just glad that they are BERMUDIAN!!!! Its’ about time that we INVEST more in BERMUDIANS. And i feel proud that Bermudian young men have taken advantage of this opportunity!! I wanna THANK the Department of Workforce Development who invested and funded the men’s training ! Well done and keep up the good work! Hopefully other employers will follow suit!

    • Mockingjay says:

      Yup wait till they get a taste of second class citizen treatment, wish you guys the best

      • Purple Koolaid says:

        In that case I hope they don’t have to deal with you Mockingjay. The rest of us have were taught to treat others as we wish to be treated.

  4. Yeah I guess I can big up my chest looking at my son(DON’T EVEN TRY IT) and his achievements, Robbie congratulation’s you did great and there is greater to come, well done.

  5. bermuda born says:

    good first step to get a general idea about the trade. Understand that there will be a very steep learning curve ahead of you out in the field. all the best to you guys. Stick to the wicket and it should get easier with time and experience.

  6. Me says:

    Great! Contact the real estate companies property management departments. They’re usually in need of appliance repair! Well done & cudos to those that made this possible.

  7. Raw Onion says:

    I don’t need a technician, I need a sprinter….my darn fridge is always running. (yawn)

  8. Bermudian. says:

    Welcome,my new colleagues.

  9. Paradise Reclaimed says:

    Thanks Bernews for keeping up with the positive stories, and best luck gents!

  10. bluebird says:

    @ mockingjay
    You think of yourself as a “”2ND,class citizen,you can never get it out of your system,because maybe you realize that you are so inefficient at what you do and too lazy to put any effort into anything.
    Except try and tear everything down,and definitely a STUDENT of Louis brown-evans and Julian hall.
    CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE YOUNG MEN AND YOU ARE WISHED EVERY SUCCESS AS IT IS OUT THERE, JUST GO GET IT.
    This world and Bermuda is about the working young people and not about old embittered people like mockingjay and others of the same ilk.

  11. bluebird says:

    Well done the OBA,the OBA all the way,
    Ayleast you are doing something for the young people and cutting $110Million from the $330Million per year that the previous Adminstration (ie) PLP/BIU left us in.ONLY $220MIllion left to cut from the Government/Civil Service to get to a BALANCED BUDGET before we can start to pay down the $2Billion plus DEBT also inherited from the PLP/BIU Administration