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This article is a year old, and I'm recycling it because it's on my mind today. I had a fun conversation with Richard Trethewey on the podcast that has me thinking along these lines today. The link is HERE if the player isn't showing up. I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of […]

Getting Involved In HVAC/R Education

Because the name of the website is HVAC School, I get a lot of people who assume we either: A) Have a physical location B) Sell online courses You are probably aware by now that we do neither of those things. We are a free learning resource for anyone looking to improve their professional skills […]

How to Make Online Training That Does Not Suck – Short #286

In this short podcast, Ruchir Shah and Dan Riggs from SkillCat talk about how to make online training that does not suck! They talk about how to develop training that is relevant to the trades and can be applied in real-world trade work. The skill gap is widening in the trades, especially as shortages […]

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HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

In this short podcast from the Bry-X stage of the 7th Annual HVAC/R Training Symposium, Ty Branaman and Leilani Orr talk about how to teach kids the trades. They share lessons they’ve learned from the GRIT Foundation and over their careers as trades and home educators. Their approaches have evolved over the years, and GRIT has also evolved quite a bit from its beginnings.

Leilani and Ty have found that the Socratic method is great for getting students to think critically; instead of spoon-feeding answers, teachers ask the students “why” and “how” questions. In GRIT Camps, mentors are there to keep students safe and guide them when needed, but mentors ultimately let students make mistakes and figure things out on their own. Students often make leaky joints when they braze for the first time, but it’s their first time holding torches and most of the tools used at GRIT Camp.

Making mistakes is crucial to the learning process. The mistakes we (and the students) make with our own hands also stick with us more than being told how to do a task the right way. Then, when students struggle, we can ask if they want to know a shortcut; they give their mentors permission to show them the right way. This method builds curiosity, and it allows students to get excited about a career in the trades or realize that the trades aren’t for them but still walk away with hands-on skills and a newfound respect for the trades.

Many tradespeople take the trade skills they learned as children for granted, as many children nowadays don’t develop the same hands-on skills. The GRIT Foundation has a course that teaches mentors to teach students those hands-on skills that already seem like second nature to them. Even so, the course is just a guide, not something that needs to be followed to the letter. Many of the concepts taught in the guide and that mentors use at GRIT Camp also apply to apprentices.

Learn more about the GRIT Foundation at https://www.thegritfoundation.com/.

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How to Teach Kids the Trades – Short #287

05/19/2026

Bryan Orr

Geothermal – Back to the Basics w/ Brad Cooper

05/14/2026