Appliance Repair Training Curriculum

The Starting Your Program course is designed to help your learners make a smooth transition to Penn Foster, including learning how to use all the tools and resources that are available to them. The goal is to help them become a confident, independent learner.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to:

• Further express your goals and expectations

• Navigate the Penn Foster learning environment, including your Student Portal 

• Describe what it takes to be a successful online learner

• Identify your preferred study aids and learning styles

• Determine personal financial goals

• Practice some important study and time management skills

• Access and use helpful resources, such as the Penn Foster Virtual Library, and various help features

While appliances are made to last, over time, they’re subject to wear and tear that eventually leads to malfunction of individual parts or the entire system. To become a qualified appliance repair technician, your learners will need the fundamental skills and knowledge necessary to support customers in need, including the tools of the trade, safety precautions, and how to conduct themselves as professional technicians.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Explore the terminology, tools, and safety skills needed for appliance repair

• Determine how to prepare for service calls and have successful interactions with customers

Electricity, electronics, and gas are the fundamental components within household appliances. By having the foundational knowledge of how electricity, electronics, and gas function within these appliances, your learners will have a deeper understanding of how they operate, allowing them to more accurately troubleshoot and solve customers’ issues.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define basic concepts in electricity, electrical circuits, and electronics

• Identify the gas components in appliances and how to work with gas safely

Clothes dryers are very common, important household appliances frequently encountered by appliance repair technicians. By understanding how clothes dryers operate, how to install them safely, and what mechanical, electrical, and gas components they’re made of, your learners will have the tools necessary to allow them to determine how to troubleshoot common problems that affect clothes dryers.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define the basics of clothes dryer operation, safety, installation, and care

• Identify the components of clothes dryers and how to troubleshoot problems

Clothes washers, or washing machines, are one of the most common household appliances encountered by appliance repair technicians. By understanding the underlying theory of operation, principles of safe installation, and the mechanical, electrical, and gas components of traditional top-loading and high-efficiency washers, your learners will have the tools necessary to successfully troubleshoot and repair these appliances.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define the basics of clothes washer operation, safety, installation, and care

• Identify the components of clothes washers and how to troubleshoot problems

Ovens, ranges, and cooktops are essential appliances in any customer’s kitchen. As appliance repair technicians, your learners will have the opportunity to work with all of these appliances. By understanding the theory of operation for ranges, ovens, and cooktops; the mechanical, electrical, and gas components; and the principles for safely installing these appliances, they'll have the knowledge necessary to successfully troubleshoot any issues that may arise for customers.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define the basics of operation, safety, installation, and care for ranges, ovens, and cooktops

• Identify the components of ranges, ovens, and cooktops and how to troubleshoot problems

While one may not find a dishwasher in every home, dishwashers are extremely common appliances that are encountered frequently by appliance repair technicians. Thus, it's important for your learners to understand the theory of operation and how to install them safely. Armed with the knowledge of the mechanical and electrical components of a dishwasher, they'll have the skills to troubleshoot common problems that affect dishwashers.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define the basics of dishwasher operation, safety, installation, and care

• Identify the components of dishwashers and how to troubleshoot problems

Microwaves come in a variety of sizes. Some can be small and inexpensive, while built-in microwaves can be an investment for customers. It’s essential for appliance repair technicians to understand how microwaves operate and how to install them safely. It’s also important for them to have a strong understanding of the mechanical and electrical components of microwaves so they can determine how to troubleshoot common problems that may arise.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define the basics of microwave operation, safety, installation, and care

• Identify the components of microwaves and how to troubleshoot problems

Sealed systems, or refrigerators and freezers, are some of the most essential home appliances since they keep food cold and fresh. It's inevitable that appliance repair technicians will at some point encounter a client who needs refrigerator support. Therefore, it’s important that your learners understand the overarching theory of operation for sealed refrigeration systems, and more specifically, the basic concepts around refrigerators and freezers. With that foundation, they'll have the knowledge necessary to troubleshoot and identify common refrigeration problems.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

• Define the basics of sealed refrigeration systems

• Define the basics of operation, safety, installation, and care for refrigerators and freezers

• Identify the components of refrigerators and freezers and how to troubleshoot problems