COD students earn 1st, 3rd place in inaugural 597 Pipefitters Union Competition

College of DuPage HVACR students Terrance Buckley of Bolingbrook and Joshua Vacek of Willowbrook earned first and third place, respectively, in the inaugural 597 Pipefitters Union competition.

"The Chicago Pipefitters Local 597 Union is one of the greatest - if not the greatest - pipefitting and mechanical contractor union halls in the world," said COD HVACR instructor Bob Clark. "Our students' performance overall was outstanding. Events like these will ripple our program's integrity to employers across the greater Chicagoland area."

During the all-day competition, students completed one 90-minute written exam and two 90-minute hands-on electrical and brazing (metal-joining process) tests. Each student was provided with a set of prints and directions they had to follow to complete each of the hands-on tasks.

"One of the best take-aways from this competition is that it will give the students an opportunity to enter Union 597," Clark said.

The HVACR club at College of DuPage will also compete in the upcoming Skills USA competition. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce, helping each student to excel. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations.

"The students seized the opportunity to go to the SkillsUSA competition," Clark said. "We are just getting started."

To learn more about the COD Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/hvacr or contact Clark at (630) 942-3068, email clark307@cod.edu.