Waukegan Technical School founder Tony Rivera has a dream.
For the past eight years, his school on Greenwood Avenue has trained people to become HVAC technicians. By the end of the year, plumbers and electricians will be able to become certified at the institution’s second location.
A one-time owner of an HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) business, and now a city of Waukegan building inspector, Rivera has leased a second building on Glen Flora Avenue to educate plumbers and electricians.
It is only his next step.
“I have a dream and a goal,” Rivera said. “I want to have a 100,000-square-foot building to teach all the trades — plumbing, electricians, HVAC, carpentry, welding, automotive and masonry,” he added, only setting a timeframe for two new career paths.
The Waukegan City Council unanimously approved Rivera’s request for a conditional use permit to operate the second campus of Waukegan Technical School for plumbers and electricians on Glen Flora Avenue on Feb. 17 at City Hall, putting his dream a step closer to reality.
Students at the Waukegan Technical School in Waukegan have this view while sitting at tables for classroom instruction. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)
“We want the next generation to learn the trades,” Rivera said. “We want young people, especially women, to learn the trades. About 80% of our students are male, and 20% are female.”
“A lot of our students are in their 30s, 40s or 50s,” added Omar Mata, the school’s instructor since its inception. “We want students who are 18.”
When he works as a city inspector, Rivera said he insists that everything be done precisely. The school teaches the same thing, to avoid any potential problems with buildings where they have worked.
Mata said painstakingly following the building code is a necessity, or severe consequences can arise. He continually stresses that with the students. A mistake can be fatal for people inside a building.
Omar Mata, left, and Tony Rivera talk about plans for an expanded school for electricians and plumbers at the current Waukegan Technical School building for HVAC technicians. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)
“When you’re working with a water heater (or furnace), if you don’t follow the manufacturer’s guidelines, you can get a concentration of carbon monoxide in the building and that is a killer,” Mata said. “It can mean the difference between life and death.”
Students come from a variety of places. Rivera said community organizations like Community Works send students to the school. It also handles overflow from the College of Lake County.
When a student completes the 10-month HVAC course — tuition is $7,500 — they will be a certified technician with a license from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They can expect to earn between $22 and $25 per hour.
“By the fifth year, they will earn $35 to $40 an hour,” Rivera said. “A specialist can make $80 an hour.”
The Waukegan Technical School, which trains HVAC technicians, will soon have a new campus a few blocks away for electricians and plumbers. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)
When the programs for electricians and plumbers start over the summer or in the fall, Rivera said certification for plumbers will take six months and cost $3,500, while the electrician course lasts eight months with a tuition of $4,500.
Once certified, Rivera said electricians can expect to start with earnings between $28 to $30 per hour, while apprentice plumbers generally make between $32 and $35 hourly. People can achieve a middle-class lifestyle without the large debt that can come with a four-year college degree.
Along with teaching standard plumbing and electric skills, Rivera said students will learn the techniques to install and wire solar panels.
