Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine June 2018

trades. To open a business, offering one’s service as a plumbing or electrical company, one needs an additional year of experience as a journeyman electrician or plumber. At that point, one can pass a test, become a Master and open a business. Back to the question. “How long do you think the apprenticeship program should be?” Great question, fair question, valid question. My response, “I don’t know. I am not an electrician or a plumber. Maybe you should ask them. They probably know if the program has been loaded with unnecessary study and field experience. After all, it could be— AND-- it could be just right; but, that answer should not come from me—a person without any knowledge of the curriculum, lab activities, or work experience of those apprenticeship programs. I don’t know the proper balance between consumer need and necessary education and experience. Here is what I do know. I fear that we are opting for a dart board decision matrix mentality. While the committees use terms like data driven, my sense is that data will only “How long do you think the apprenticeship program should be?” Great question, fair question, valid question.

be considered applicable if it reinforces ones opinion. After all, we know that people are smartest when

….dart board decision matrix

they agree with us. It is the extreme that scares me. One member said in all sincerity, “I believe in freedom. I just believe that a consumer should be able to choose the contractor they want.” (That may not be verbatim but it is really close.) They meant that a consumer should have the right to choose between a person with a license or one without a license. (This usually means a person that knows what they are doing versus one that thinks they know what they are doing.) It is the buyer beware concept. In other words, if a contractor burns down a house or kills someone from carbon monoxide poisoning because they did not know what they were doing, our family and friends won’t buy from them next time. Show them, hugh? As these hearing progress, I want to believe that reason and a desire to protect the public health and safety will prevail. I must admit that I am paranoid about these hearings. You and I must stay informed and involved. Also, you must stay ready to contact your state senator and representative.