UA STAR Raises The Bar

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Physicians have their board exams: a testing standard to show the world they excel in their chosen field. Lawyers, realtors and other professionals also have tests to measure their skill levels. Leaders at the United Association (UA), a multi-craft union representing service and piping technicians in the fields of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR), believed their industry needed a similar testing standard - one to delineate which workers have outstanding skill levels and are highly qualified - and so the UA STAR certification program was born.

"UA service technicians receive state-of-the-art training, and this program identifies those with the highest degree of proficiency," said Donald House, the UA's director of HVACR Service. "Plus, the program has been recognized by major standard-accrediting organizations and requires a solid base of education or work experience. UA STAR certification offers end-users the best of the best." The United Association - officially known as the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinklerfitting Industry of the United States and Canada - developed its STAR certification program in conjunction with Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan, which has a prominent history of vocational education.

"The UA STAR certification exam was created based on the results of a study we did with Ferris State University," said Steven H. Allen, Director of Instructional Technology for the UA. "Ferris State interviewed service technicians nationwide and in Canada, and used the information to create a 65-page task analysis, from which the 200-question test was developed. The questions on the exam were then pilot-tested. A national cross-section of beginning, intermediate, and experienced technicians took the exam, and the results of this test effort were found statistically valid by Ferris State."

To take the UA STAR exam, a technician must have either five years of work experience or have graduated from a five-year union apprenticeship. Successful completion of the exam earns applicants 32 hours of college credit toward an Associates Degree in HVACR technology or construction supervision from Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To date, over 57,000 college credits valued at over $4.2 million have been issued. Both Associate Degree programs transfer directly into Ferris State University's Bachelor's Degree programs. Students can complete both AA and BA degrees online.

The UA STAR certification program is endorsed by the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA), a national trade association representing over 1,100 firms involved in the service, maintenance, retrofitting and repair of HVACR systems in commercial/industrial facilities. The MSCA also has initiated the MSCA STAR Qualification program, which recognizes contractors who meet stringent quality specifications and submit supporting documentation. "Employing UA STAR certified technicians is one important criteria for MSCA STAR qualification," said MSCA Executive Director Barbara Dolim. "Together, UA STAR certification and MSCA STAR qualification gives contractors a marketing edge and provides end-users with a highly trained workforce. It's a win-win situation."

What's on the Test?
The UA STAR Certification exam tests applicants for expertise in:

"The UA STAR test is administered and supervised by Ferris State University and the National Inspection Testing Corporation (NITC). NITC is an internationally recognized third party personnel certification agency," said Mr. Allen. Their third-party participation, along with that of Ferris State, helps the UA STAR test to meet the criteria of American National Standards Accrediting Institute (ANSI) accreditation and the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) ISO-9002 certification. "Organizations that test and accredit workers must also meet specific standards, and those standards are determined by ANSI," he added.

Many manufacturers consider ISO certification fundamental to doing business internationally, and so they prefer working with technicians meeting those standards. The UA STAR exam is the only test of its kind recognized by ISO. "ISO certification means that the UA STAR exam has met an important international standard, respected worldwide," said Mr. Allen.

An Asset to the Team

Contractors who employ UA STAR-certified technicians find their enhanced skills make for greater productivity and customer satisfaction. Thermodyne Mechanical Services, Inc., in Northbrook, Ill., takes the UA STAR certification very seriously. "All of our journeymen are UA STAR-certified," said Bert Miedler, president of Thermodyne. "They've received continuing education though local Mechanical Contractors Association chapters, and different suppliers have held night classes. They also take UA Local 597 night classes. Our clients have been extremely pleased by their performance."

Thermodyne was designated as an MSCA STAR for not only meeting, but actually surpassing the stringent business and HVAC service standards set forth by MSCA. "Twenty-five percent of a company's service journeymen must be UA STAR-certified to become MSCA STAR-qualified," said Ms. Dolim, "and Thermodyne went beyond that to the maximum extent."

Dick Starr, president of The Enterprise Corporation, in Cleveland, Ohio, also employs UA STAR-certified journeymen. "Clients often tell me I have the best people in the industry," he said. "One person once told me, 'Your technicians analyze problems, while others just treat symptoms.'" The Enterprise Corporation was the first contractor to receive MSCA STAR qualification in Ohio. "We have a strong industrial base of customers, and they appreciate that we employ technicians with certification recognized by ISO."

The UA STAR certification exam offers greater opportunities for the technician, a more marketable workforce for the contractor, and superior results for the end-user, making everyone an equal winner in this industry trifecta. "ANSI accreditation, ISO certification, and the five-year work experience or apprenticeship requirement combine to make the UA STAR certification exam the standard to which all workers in this industry should aspire," said Mr. House.

Founded in 1889, the UA represents pipefitters, sprinklerfitters, service technicians and plumbers. Members are engaged in the fabrication, installation and servicing of all piping systems. More than 300,000 highly skilled UA members belong to over 400 individual local unions across North America. For more information on the UA, visit www.ua.org. For more information on the UA STAR certification program, visit www.uastar.info.