White Mountain Oil future tech awarded scholarship

White Mountain Oil & Propane’s future Service Technician Matt Aaron Coolbroth has been awarded the prestigious Dave Nelsen Scholarship from the National Association of Oil & Energy Service Professionals.

Coolbroth received the $5,000 scholarship at the OESP Awards Banquet in May at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

The scholarship will be used to pay his tuition at the N.H. School of Mechanical Trades in Hampton.
Coolbroth joined White Mountain Oil & Propane as an apprentice after graduating from Kennett High School in Conway. He is in the early stages of training to become an oil/propane service technician.

To become a New Hampshire licensed oil technician, Coolbroth will need 4,000 hours of appropriate field experience and the required certifications, while to become licensed as a gas service technician he will need a minimum of 2,000 field hours plus educational hours. There’s a serious shortage of service people in the trades all over the U.S. Nationally, the current average age of an HVAC technician is 54 years old.

“In our company, almost half of our service technicians are over age 60, so we’re delighted to have Matt join our team,” explained Dana Jones, White Mountain Oil & Propane’s director of sales and marketing. “We’re continually looking for technicians, and welcome the opportunity to have younger workers undertake their training while working with our seasoned technicians who are a great resource for them,” Jones said. Jones said that often the mechanical trades are overlooked as a career choice. “Young people attending a four-year college can easily graduate with debt in the six figures — and no job,” Jones continued.

“In Matt, we have a young man who started with us after graduating from Kennett and who will, by the age of 21, have to potential to earn a good wage with benefits and will have a great opportunity for advancement. We couldn’t be prouder of him. OESP only awards three to five scholarships a year nationally, and we’re so pleased that he was awarded one.”

Jones added that he welcomes the opportunity to speak with young people who are interested in exploring what a career in the HVAC industry has to offer — or workers who are considering a career change. “This is a great industry — and a great company, and we’re definitely looking for the next generation to join us.”