For 27 years the Vending Technologies Program (VTP) has thrived, heavily supported by owners of local vending machine companies, product distributors and brokers, and national vending equipment manufacturers. As of 2017, however, the VTP is in jeopardy. A change in the CIP Code has revealed that CIP Code 47.0109 for Vending Machine Repair no longer exists on the US DOE national database, the program, therefore the program was approved under 47.0106 Appliance Installation and Repair Technology/Technician CIP Code. However, under the 47.0106 Appliance Installation and Repair Technology/Technician CIP Code the instructor Davis Haines has not been issued an emergency teaching certificate by the Pennsylvania Department of Education authorizing agency, Temple University. They state several reasons: the task grid for vending does not match the task grid for small appliance repair, and that the instructor cannot show two years’ experience in small appliance repair.
Bud Burke, Vice President of The Coffeematt Corporation and program advocate, argues that the VTP course has been listed under CIP Code 47.0106 Appliance Installation and Repair Technology/Technician for years. And the instructor has been teaching this course for 4 ½ years with an emergency teaching certificate approved annually.
There has been a change of personnel at Temple, which has called into question not only the Vending program but other programs in the district, believes Burke. He has issued letters to representatives.
To find out how you can get involved in supporting the only VTP in the country, contact Bud Burke at 215-461-1800 x1805 or [email protected].
