Suncoast Technical College in Sarasota, Florida, has become a de facto testing ground for a unique student training program that Direct Energy plans to roll out nationwide over the course of 2016.
While online training may have initially been scoffed at by seasoned technicians, it’s now becoming a quality complement to community colleges, tech schools, and apprenticeship programs. And, as more and more options present themselves, HVACRedu.net remains a reputable place for contractors to turn for online education.
Could sponsorship of sporting events be a way to gain the interest of young people and perhaps increase their awareness of the opportunities available to them in the HVACR industry? For example, with college football bowl season approaching, I’m thinking the industry should look into uniting to sponsor a bowl game.
What if, instead of a prospective star athlete sitting at the podium, it was a potential HVAC technician? Would this drum up interest in HVAC? What if the industry treated its future prospects as the stars that they are?
The HVACR Workforce Development Foundation (WDF) released three new reports and an accompanying executive summary confirming that demand outstrips the supply of HVACR workers. In particular, technicians and installers are in critical shortage in most areas of the nation.
The Retail Ready Career Center has 4,160 square feet of space dedicated to four live HVAC labs and approximately 5,200 square feet of classroom space. The 10-hours-a-day five-days-a-week six-week program is very intensive and is meant as a crash course for those entering the HVAC industry.
Direct Energy's brands, which have committed to donating $100,000 in scholarships to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation over the course of 12 months, will work alongside Rowe to promote the skilled trades industry and empower future and potential trade professionals.
The Workforce Development Foundation has been meeting informally for more than 10 years to discuss industry issues like government relations and association concerns.