Earn While You Learn with Home-Tech Apprenticeship Program - Program Now Seeking Qualified Applicants - Local Company Helps Reduce Unemployment in Southwest Florida

Fort Myers, FL, January 20, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Home-Tech, a Fort Myers based air conditioning and major appliance sales and service company, is seeking individuals to apply for its apprenticeship training program that may put them on a new career path.

Each year, Home-Tech hires between five and eight individuals into its apprenticeship program who undergo a rigorous 240-hour training “boot camp” program at the company’s in-house training facility. The state-of-the-art facility includes computers, displays, simulators for air-conditioning systems and major appliances for hands-on practical training. This is combined with on the job training supervised by a senior technician, and followed by a written and practical test.

“It’s not easy, but the individuals we look to hire into our apprenticeship program are up to the challenge. We want only the best people working with our customers," says Steve Marino, founder and CEO of Home-Tech. Once on the road, the training continues throughout the first and second year with in-house and online instruction totaling 260-hours a year.

Home-Tech is the only Southwest Florida service company that invests in an in-house training program, managed and supervised by a full time trainer.

“We are basically offering a full-ride scholarship to a proven, recession-proof career path,” said Home-Tech founder and CEO Steve Marino. “We are not only paying the tuition, we are paying them as they learn!”

Applicants for the program must be at least 21, drug-free, with a good driving record and no criminal record. The most important quality in an applicant, according to Marino, is a proven mechanical aptitude, a willingness to learn and work hard. “We take service seriously at Home-Tech, just one of many reasons we have continued to grow for 30 years,” Marino says.

Matt Eberhard completed the training program at Home-Tech two years ago. “At a time when my friends were being laid off, I was offered the opportunity to learn a new career. The program Home-Tech provides is really in-depth. I learned about the products we service in the training center and continued to learn on-the-job, under the supervision of other technicians who have been working the in the field for years. By the time I started out on my own, I was comfortable that I was providing my customers with the best possible service. And, I knew that if I had any questions, there was a team of people at Home-Tech able to back me up and provide additional support.”

Home-Tech is actively recruiting for its apprenticeship program. Interested applicants can call (800) 433-9740, ext. 298.

About Home-Tech
Based in Fort Myers, employee-owned Home-Tech has been an industry leader and trendsetter in the fields of home service agreements, air conditioning and major appliance sales and service for three decades. Founded in 1981 by Steve Marino, who continues as President and chairman of the Board, the privately-held Home-Tech employs 130-people and provides services in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Sarasota and Manatee counties in Southwest Florida. Home-Tech operates from two principal locations. Its headquarters, tech training facility and appliance showroom are located at 6400 Techster Boulevard in Fort Myers. A second office on Lena Road in Bradenton serves Manatee and Sarasota Counties. For additional information about Home-Tech, visit www.Home-Tech.com or call (239) 433-3344.

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