The purpose of the foundation is to raise awareness of the industry, attract new members to the workforce and enhance the quality of the available workforce in the industry.

Eight heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and water heating industry associations recently announced the formation of the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation to raise awareness of the industry, attract new members to the workforce and enhance the quality of the available workforce in the industry - the Air Conditioning Contractors of America; the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute; the Air Movement and Control Association; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers; the Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International; the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada; the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association; and the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society.  

“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, AHRI president and CEO. “The HVACR and water heating industry offers a great career path, and we want more people to be a part of it.”

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.

“The benefits of this foundation will quickly be felt throughout our industry,” said Paul Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. “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, HRAI president, 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.