Elevator repair schools train students to work in demanding, hazardous conditions.

If you like the idea of making more money than a university professor in a job that requires only a high school diploma, you may want to become an elevator repair technician. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics an elevator installer and repairer makes over $70,000 a year, and jobs are at a normal projected increase up to the year 2020. You can better determine what direction to take by learning about elevator repair schools.

Skills Taught

Elevator repair schools offer programs that teach a number of skills. Students will learn how to install, repair and maintain modern elevators. Most modern elevators are electronically controlled so students will receive in-depth instruction in electronics, electricity and hydraulics. They will also learn how to repair the elevator's microprocessor -- a device programmed to continuously track and analyze traffic conditions in order to run elevators in the most efficient methods. Some elevator repair schools will also teach students how to repair old elevators, especially if the school is located in a city with old buildings like New York or Chicago.


There are many technical schools that teach elevator repair through joint apprenticeship training programs. The National College Credit Recommendation Service reports that “the Joint Apprentice Training Committee of the Elevator Industry, a National CCRS member since 1988,” trains apprentices that are offered jobs from “each of the 50 elevator repair, maintenance and elevator modernization companies represented by Local #3 of the IBEW” in New York. All metropolitan areas will have a CCRS outlet to apprenticeships through school programs. Apprentices are required to attend the Elevator Apprentice School for four years with a minimum requirement to attend two classes a year.

Safety Training

Many elevator repair schools prepare students for the rigorous conditions elevator repair technicians face. The majority of elevator installers and repairers work 40-hour weeks, while on-call 24 hours a day, with mandatory overtime, in dangerous conditions. Elevator installers lift and carry heavy equipment and are at high risk for getting injured through muscle strains, falls and electrical shocks. Therefore, students are taught safety procedures such as proper lifting techniques and how to rig safety harnesses.

Servicing Other Devices

Many elevator repair schools will teach students how to work on other devices that, more or less, provide similar purposes as elevators. Apart from elevators some of these devices include chairlifts, escalators, moving walkways and dumbwaiters. Moving walkways are common in airports, and if one breaks down it can cause a massive hiccup in people's travel plans. Escalators are common in large shopping centers, and the ones in hotels must run 24 hours a day in order to accommodate guests. The mechanics of these devices are all similar, so don't be surprised if your curriculum includes some training courses on them.