Receive extensive field time to gain skills and learn the proper safety and physical requirements for a career as an Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology – Geothermal Technician at Gateway Technical College. This associate degree program prepares you to enter the field of geothermal heating and cooling as you learn a variety of drilling techniques to use the heat of the earth to heat and cool buildings. Technicians can work for commercial and residential companies. Geothermal technology taps into the Earth’s energy to heat and cool buildings through a system that begins underground before cycling through the structure’s heating and cooling ventilation (HVAC) system. It’s one of the fastest growing technologies in the HVAC industry and is the most efficient operating system today. Gateway’s program takes students through the basics of geoexchange technology through hands-on training on the systems’ drilling, installation, and maintenance. The drilling techniques taught at Gateway allow for geoexchange units to be placed nearly anywhere – including smaller, urban lots. Students practice multiple drilling techniques at Gateway’s five acre drill site throughout the year to prepare them for all weather conditions and various ground formations.