HVAC Director/Sheet Metal Instructor Named ABC 2025 Craft Instructor of the Year
Associated Builders and Contractors named Derek Robbins, HVAC director and sheet metal instructor, ABC Keystone chapter, Manheim, Pennsylvania, as the 2025 Craft Instructor of the Year.
ABC presents the award annually to an outstanding instructor who demonstrates creativity, a positive attitude and the ability to transfer knowledge through communications skills and innovative teaching to promote lifelong learning to the future construction workforce.
Robbins, 49, orchestrates and refines HVAC and sheet metal curricula for the chapter, crafting intensive four-year comprehensive courses to meet the industry’s evolving demands. He integrates technologies like 3D simulations, engaging video content and interactive visuals to enhance classroom instruction.
With more than a dozen years of experience in the construction industry, Robbins spearheads programs that equip tradespeople with the knowledge needed to pass crucial certification exams. He also prepared the chapter’s top HVAC apprentice for the 2024 ABC National Craft Championships, where he went on to earn a gold medal in the competition.
As Craft Instructor of the Year, Robbins received a $10,000 cash prize. Co-sponsors of the Craft Instructor of the Year are the National Center for Construction Education and Research and Tradesmen International.
