WASHINGTON — While congressional leaders discuss ways to bridge the skills gap and get Americans back to work, the state of Florida is enacting its own program, the Florida Career and Professional Education Act (CAPE).

CAPE will provide $1,000 in new funding per student based upon passing an industry certification. Through industry certifications, Florida wants to demonstrate a graduate has the training and skills necessary for employment.

CareerSource Florida, a business-led workforce investment board, provides the oversight for selecting the certifications. At its recent board of directors meeting, CAPE leaders reviewed and approved a number of certifications including 10 new certifications for the HVACR industry programs.

The HVAC Excellence-approved certifications include: air conditioning, basic refrigeration and charging procedures, electric heat, electrical, gas heat, heat pump, light commercial air conditioning, oil heat, residential and light commercial hydronic heat, system diagnostics and troubleshooting, and fuel oil combustion.

The HVAC Excellence certifications are discipline-specific exams. They provide HVACR instructors with the information needed to evaluate the efficacy of their program. They provide employers documentation that graduates have retained the knowledge necessary for employment in the HVACR industry.

Publication date: 3/24/2014 

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