ARLINGTON, Va. - The HVACR departments at Carver Career and Technical Education Center in Charleston, W.V., Miami Valley Career Technology Center in Clayton, Ohio, Moore Norman Technology Center in Norman, Okla., and Somerset County Technology Center in Somerset, Pa., have received national accreditation through the Partnership for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA) program.

Accreditation from PAHRA certifies that the HVACR programs at these institutions have exceeded industry standards in instruction, curriculum, student, faculty and facility standards set forth by the HVACR industry in areas of residential air conditioning and heating, light commercial air conditioning and heating, and commercial refrigeration.

"PAHRA is proof that our students will receive the education they need to be successful in the industry," said Roy Waldroop, from Moore Norman Technology Center. "It guarantees to contractors that the students they hire from the Moore Norman program will be prepared when they enter the job market."

"This was not an easy feat," said Pat Murphy, president of PAHRA and vice president of certifications for North American Technician Excellence (NATE). "The standards set by professionals from within our industry are very high. PAHRA has raised the bar for HVACR programs to achieve excellence, and these schools have proven they are up to the challenge."

PAHRA is validated by representatives from each major HVACR trade association and is available to all HVACR training programs, whether they are secondary, post secondary, public, or private. It was created for the purpose of establishing national educational standards for accrediting HVACR programs.

To become accredited, a training school must first evaluate its own strengths and weaknesses as compared to industry standards and then submit its findings in a self-study report. A survey team then conducts an on-site visit to corroborate the self-study report.

Since its launch in January 2001, a total of 26 schools have received PAHRA accreditation.

PAHRA is supported by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Council of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators (CARE), Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), and Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association (PHCC).

For more information, visit www.pahrahvacr.org.

Publication date: 06/20/2005