ARLINGTON, VA - Eight HVACR and water heating industry associations recently announced the formation of the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation. The Foundation will work to raise awareness of the industry, attract new members to the workforce, and enhance the quality of the available workforce in the industry.

“This Foundation is representative of the industry’s effort to promote education, projects, and partnerships that will attract committed and skilled employees to the industry,” said Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). “The HVACR and water heating industry offers a great career path, and we want more people to be a part of it.”

 

“The benefits of this Foundation will quickly be felt throughout our industry,” said Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) president and CEO Paul Stalknecht. “It only makes sense to pool our efforts and leverage our resources to improve awareness of our industry and its benefits and attract future employees.”

 

Warren Heeley, president of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), sees good things from cross-border cooperation. “Our industries are inextricably linked, so it is to our mutual benefit to partner on these key industry initiatives,” he said.

 

The Foundation will market to the industry, as well as federal and state education and labor departments, and career and technical education programs. It will also educate secondary school principals, counselors, and teachers of the career prospects in the HVACR industry.

 

Foundation members include ACCA; AHRI; the Air Movement and Control Association; ASHRAE; Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International; HRAI; the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association; and the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society.