BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Community College System, Eastern Maine Community College, and the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council are working together to provide a new HVAC program focused on keeping schools safe and clean from COVID-19.
The courses are fully virtual and open to anyone. The idea came from K-12 school administrators who told the Maine Community College System that they were looking to learn more about airflow in school buildings as it relates to COVID-19.
The two modules on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning will take about four hours to complete. One is for school administrators and one is for school maintenance workers, but officials at EMCC said anyone can take these online courses.
"These can go beyond educational institutions so anyone that works in HVAC can take these badges and get a greater understanding, but it really dives into these key pieces based [on] preventing airborne spread of COVID within these institutions," Christopher Winstead, workforce development director at EMCC, said.
The courses are now available online at maineindoorair.org.