Honoring those who play a crucial role in developing tomorrow’s workers, PHCC named Paul Hallam, an educator at Mechanical Skills Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana, its 2022 Plumbing Instructor of the Year. The award — sponsored by PHCC Corporate Partner Milwaukee Tool — was presented last week at PHCCCONNECT2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Michael Lorenzen accepted the award on Hallam’s behalf.
An experienced classroom instructor, the transition to online instruction in recent years required some “out-of-the-box thinking,” announced PHCC —
National President Joel Long during the awards ceremony. While most online courses are self-paced and teacherless, Mechanical Skills created a face-to-face Zoom environment to mirror a conventional classroom experience. In addition to teaching technical aspects, instructors also must get creative to pique interest, encourage participation, and motivate their students