Propane is clean, American energy with virtually limitless potential. Keep exploring to learn more about the fuel itself and the propane industry.
Propane is the third most widely used fuel in the U.S. by the number of households, second to
electricity and natural gas. All told, propane is used in roughly 50 million American households, with
7.8 million households using propane for in-home heating, 5.5 million of which depend on propane
as their primary space heating fuel.1 In addition, 4.6 million homes use propane for water heating
and over 42 million homes use propane for outdoor grilling activities.2
BRING MORE ENERGY TO YOUR COURSES
With the Technical School Grant Program, you can earn extra funding to give students enhanced, real-world experience with propane, and better prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Through this program, you can receive up to $10,000 of grant money by incorporating a provided curriculum into your program, and completing a few other requirements like acquiring specific propane tools and equipment that will take hands-on learning to new heights.
Technical School Grant Program
IMPORTANT DATES
Application period: August 1 – November 30, 2022
Selections announced via email: December 2022
Instructional period: January – December 2023
Train the Trainer: Summer 2023
Thirty technical schools gave their students a hands-on learning experience and more career opportunities after graduation with propane curriculum and lab equipment funded by the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).
PERC’s Technical School Grant Program awards winning technical schools and community colleges up to $10,000 for teaching approved propane curriculum from PERC, using propane equipment for laboratory instruction and encouraging students to get CETP certification.
Tier 1 : $5,000
Tier One is for schools looking for a condensed, foundational propane systems program. Tier One applicants are required to purchase a smaller set of tools, supplies, and appliances. To qualify for Tier One, you must obtain the following propane materials for your classroom:
1. Demonstrate utilization of PERC’s Overview of Propane Distribution Systems course.
2. A propane Regulator Test and demo training board.
3. A propane regulator cutaway.
4. Pressure measuring devices.
5. A liquid leak detector system.
6. Gas pipe, tubing and fitting samples.
7. A propane hydrometer and supply source cylinder with proper hose and fittings for liquid transfer outside of a building.
8. A propane gas appliance.
Tier 2 : $10,000
Tier Two features the full HVAC and Plumber Technical Training course that is developed to support a one to two-week long curriculum to dive deeper into hands-on training. To qualify for Tier Two, you must obtain item numbers 2-7 listed in Tier One, as well as the 5 items below:
1. Demonstrate utilization of PERC’s full HVAC and Plumber Technical Training course, including the 5 supplemental videos.
2. A natural draft propane appliance.
3. A category III propane appliance.
4. A category IV propane appliance.
5. Venting components
PERC selected 30 schools from 19 states for the 2021 school year.
“American companies face a shortage of young service technicians, and propane companies are no exception,” PERC President and CEO Tucker Perkins says in a press release. “For more than 100 years, propane has provided wonderful careers to bright young women and men who enjoy working with their hands as well as their brains. This grant program is designed to help more of them prepare for important, rewarding technical work in our industry.”
Winning schools chose to offer either the PERC Overview of Propane Distribution Systems training or the full PERC HVAC and Plumber Technical Training.
For schools that chose to teach students the Overview of Propane Distribution Systems, eligible lab equipment includes a propane regulator test and demo training board; a propane regulator cutaway; pressure measuring devices; liquid leak detector solution; gas pipe, tubing and fittings samples; a propane hydrometer; and a propane gas appliance.
For schools that chose to offer the full HVAC and Plumber Technical Training, eligible equipment includes the items listed for teaching the overview, plus additional propane appliances and venting components.
Each school identified a local propane adviser for the program. Propane advisers can work for a local propane company or a state propane gas association or foundation.
The following schools have been selected for the program:
Alabama
- Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Phenix City
- Southern Union State Community College, Opelika
- Wallace Community College, Eufaula
- Wallace State Community College, Hanceville
Connecticut
- ENTECH Advanced Energy Training, Cromwell
Georgia
- Southern Regional Technical College, Moultrie
Idaho
- North Idaho College CTE HVAC, Coeur d’Alene
Maine
- Region Two School of Applied Technology, Houlton
Minnesota
- Hennepin Technical College, Eden Prairie
Missouri
- Jefferson College, Hillsboro
Montana
- Columbia Falls High School (School District 6), Columbia Falls
- Montana State University, Northern Havre
Nebraska
- Southeast Community College, Milford
New York
- Northwest Technical Center: St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, Ogdensburg
- Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood
North Carolina
- Alamance Community College, Graham
- Lenoir Community College, Kinston
- Montgomery Community College, Troy
- South Piedmont Community College, Monroe
Pennsylvania
- Upper Bucks Technical School, Perkasie
South Carolina
- Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Conway
- Tri-County Technical College, Pendleton
South Dakota
- Western Dakota Tech, Rapid City
Texas
- Collin County Community College District Technical Campus, Allen
- PHCC-San Antonio, San Antonio
Vermont
- Central Vermont Career Center, Barre
- Vermont Fuel Training Center, Montpelier
Virginia
- Associated Builders and Contractors Virginia Chapter, Sterling
West Virginia
- Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Martinsburg
Wisconsin
- Northcentral Technical College, Wausau
The council is a nonprofit that provides propane safety and training programs, and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies.
https://www.techedmagazine.com/category/news-by-industry/energy-education/