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Day 1: H&L Skilled Trades Exploration — HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Explore Electrician, Plumber, and HVAC Technician careers in H&L; begin the Skilled Trades Comparison Matrix with 3 trades; identify certification and licensing requirements
TEKS d(2)(A), d(1)(C)
Deliverable Skilled Trades Comparison Matrix with 3 trades (Electrician, Plumber, HVAC Tech) partially complete
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts + Workbook (Ch 3, p. 38 pathways list), BLS OOH, printed Skilled Trades Comparison Matrix, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: It is July in Texas. Your air conditioning breaks at 2 AM when it is 95 degrees outside. How much would you pay to have it fixed right now? What does that tell you about the value of HVAC technicians?

Collect 2-3 answers, some students will shout out large numbers. Bridge to the point: when something you depend on stops working, you value the person who can fix it. Skilled trades are valuable because they provide services no software or AI can replace.

Activity 1: H&L Skilled Trades Intro (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 3, p. 38, confirmed pathways: Electrical, HVAC and Sheet Metal, Masonry, Plumbing and Pipefitting

Review the H&L workbook pathway descriptions:

  • Electrical: Install, fix, and maintain electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures; work with telecommunications cables, including fiber optics.
  • HVAC and Sheet Metal: Install, repair, and maintain heating and air conditioning systems; work with sheet metal to create and fix ducts, control boxes, and other equipment.
  • Plumbing and Pipefitting: Install, repair, and maintain pipes and fixtures for water, heating, and drainage systems; work with equipment that controls steam, cooling, and sprinklers.

Direct students to open Hats & Ladders and navigate to the A&C cluster Hat Finder. They should explore each of the three Hats: Electrician, Plumber, and HVAC Technician. For each Hat, students check:

  • Education/training pathway (apprenticeship length, classroom hours, licensing)
  • DFW salary data (entry, median, top 10%)
  • Demand level (high, medium, low)
  • Perks, quirks, and job gear, rate whether each matches their personal style

Facilitation Tip

Students sometimes conflate Electrician and Electrical Engineer. Clarify: an electrician installs and fixes wiring (apprenticeship path, no degree required). An electrical engineer designs electrical systems and devices (bachelor's degree required). This week is about the trades, not the engineering path.

Activity 2: Skilled Trades Comparison Matrix — First 3 Trades (25 min)

Distribute the Skilled Trades Comparison Matrix. The matrix has a column for each of the 4 trades (Electrician, Plumber, HVAC Tech, Welder) and rows for key data points. Today students fill in 3 of the 4 trades, welding comes on Day 2.

Matrix rows to complete today:

Row What to fill in
Apprenticeship length From H&L + BLS
Licensing requirements State-specific (Texas TDLR for electrical; TSBPE for plumbing)
Certification names NCCER, specific journeyman licenses
DFW starting salary H&L entry-level data
DFW experienced salary H&L top-earners data
BLS 10-year job outlook BLS percentage growth
One "perk" From H&L Hat profile
One "quirk" From H&L Hat profile

Students work independently or in pairs. Teacher circulates and verifies students are pulling real numbers, not guesses.

Facilitation Tip

Common student misconception: they skip the apprenticeship row or write "4 years" without checking. Apprenticeship length varies by trade and state. Electrician is typically 4 years in Texas, Plumber is 4-5 years, HVAC is 3-5 years. Verify sources.

DOK 2: How would you compare the licensing pathway for an Electrician versus an HVAC Technician? Which takes longer and why?

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Ranked Justification) · Printable PDF:

Rank the three trades on TRAINING-TIME-TO-SALARY RATIO from BEST ratio (1) to WORST (3).

  • HVAC Technician: rank ____
  • Electrician: rank ____
  • Plumber: rank ____

For EACH rank, cite ONE specific number (training years OR DFW salary) that backs the rank:

  • Rank 1 (best ratio): _____________

  • Rank 3 (worst ratio): _____________

Bottom line: In one sentence, why does the RATIO matter more to me than training-time alone or salary alone? (d(2)(A), d(5)(E))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-fill the "Apprenticeship length" row for all 3 trades as an anchor. Students focus on salary and licensing data instead.
  • Extension: Research the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for the exact licensing exams required for electricians. What happens on the exam? What is the pass rate?
  • ELL: Bilingual Skilled Trades Matrix with Spanish column headers. Pre-teach: Licensing = Licencia, Apprenticeship = Aprendizaje, Certification = Certificación.