Ken Midgett, left, receives the PHCC Plumbing Instructor of the Year award from PHCC President Ken Nielsen. Photo Courtesy PHCC-National Association

Lehigh Career & Technical Institute teacher Kenneth Midgett is the 2019 Plumbing Instructor of the Year. 

Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association officials honored Midgett on Friday (Oct. 4) during the organization’s annual conference at the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The prestigious national award recognizes instructors who meet the highest standards as they provide training necessary to develop tomorrow’s workers in the plumbing field.

Midgett, a licensed master plumber who spent 20-plus years running a prosperous business, has served as LCTI’s Plumbing & Heating program teacher since spring 2008. Under his leadership, program enrollment is booming and student performance is strong. The Coopersburg resident has been particularly successful in his efforts to recruit and mentor girls, who are nontraditional students for the male-dominated program.

Alumna Jody-Ann Young, for example, is in her third year as an apprentice plumber after earning several schoolwide awards, serving as a SkillsUSA vice president and appearing in a CBS Sunday Morning Show segment about the construction trades during her tenure at LCTI. A current student, Paige Knowles, won first place in plumbing at January’s SkillsUSA district championships, spent the summer as a paid plumbing intern and was recently elected to serve as one of the school’s SkillsUSA presidents.

For nine consecutive years, 100 percent of Midgett’s students have scored advanced on the NOCTI, an end-of-program assessment. The program also boasts a 100 percent job placement rate for eligible seniors. 

Plumbing & Heating Occupational Advisory Council member Mike Gillette said, “Ken’s singular efficacy as an educator stems from his passion for the plumbing and heating industry and his ability to translate that passion into supportive, creative, and empowering relationships that not only lead students to excellence in the classroom but guide them into successful careers.”

Congratulations, Mr. Midgett! We’re lucky to have you!