A2L Training Changes Are Here!

The Johnstone Supply Training Solutions team exists because Contractors and Technicians have plenty to worry about in their day-to-day business without having to check the internet every 15 minutes trying to figure out what has changed, what is changing, what has changed back and when it will change again.  Labor, scheduling, fleet maintenance, equipment availability and everyone’s new favorite challenge, refrigerant availability, take up most of the day, and you haven’t even started working yet.

The A2L classes we’ve been running for the past year or so have focused on certification of technicians who will be handling these refrigerants.  We’ve been using the ESCO certification test, and we have a certification test pass rate of more than 90% which we are very proud of.

We also hate it. Why?  For any of you that have attended our classes, you already know the answer.  Because that test is wildly outdated, with 25% or more of the information factually untrue.  We know it, we’ve been telling our classes that, but we’ve stuck with it because the objective was to get technicians through the test, get them certified, and get them back out into the field. And we hate it.  We HATE giving outdated information, even though we’ve been telling you the information is outdated.  We HATE having people sit for exams that aren’t really going to help them do their jobs.  We HATE taking your people out of the field because when they’re not in the field they’re not making money, and when they’re not making money, YOU aren’t making money either. And that’s why we’re done with it.

Our A2L class has been a full day, $279 class, with much of that cost covering the ESCO Study Guide and the ESCO test.  We’ve been accomplishing the goal, getting your technicians certified, but we haven’t been accomplishing OUR goal, which is to give you and your technicians Real World Experience for Your Real-World Career.  That stops today.

Going forward we have made the decision that the certification test simply isn’t worth the time and money.  The information is too outdated, the test too cumbersome, and the class too long.  We’ve spent the better part of the last two months reworking our curriculum, bringing it up to speed with CURRENT regulations, CURRENT specs, and CURRENT processes.  Will this class help you to pass the ESCO Low GWP Refrigerant Certification Test?  Not really.  Will it get you the skills and knowledge you need to actually go out into the field and install, charge and service an A2L compliant piece of machinery?  You bet your behind it will.

Look for our new ½ Day, up to the minute accurate A2L’s Training Classes at a Johnstone Branch near you, or if you want to get all your technicians up to speed in one fell swoop contact me, James Renwick, at james.renwick@johnstonesupply.com and we can get scheduled to come out to your shop, or a branch near you, and give you a Private Training to get your people up to speed.

The summer’s almost here, and the temperatures are rising quickly, so will the questions, quirks and left-handed threads that are needed to use these new refrigerants.  There’s nothing (except shortages) to be afraid of, and we want you to know you can count on us to get you the training you need, when you need it and where you want it.