Uponor North America (Uponor) has developed an apprenticeship program with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) to help recruit, train and retain skilled workers in the midst of the skilled labor shortage.
I have talked with many in the industry who believe once kids reach high school, society has placed them on a path, and it is very difficult to introduce trade schools into their plans at that point. These people say you need to reach these kids in middle school to plant the HVAC seed.
According to multiple studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), four out of 10 homes built in the U.S. contain improper HVAC designs and equipment.
On June 15, as part of a White House event, President Donald Trump signed the Apprenticeship & Workforce of Tomorrow executive order, which designates resources to go to vocational training programs and aims to remove restrictions that have prevented industries, including HVAC, from creating apprenticeships.
President Trump signed the Apprenticeship and Workforce of Tomorrow executive order into law June 15, which is designed to expand apprenticeship opportunities in hopes of filling approximately 6 million vacant jobs.
ACCA is getting a boost to one of its top priorities, workforce development, from President Donald Trump and his administration. The president recently embarked on a three-day trip to expand the nation’s use of apprenticeships to fill unmet labor needs and to highlight workforce development issues.
Finding ways to ensure America’s next generation of workers develop interest in the skilled trades and want to make careers out of the work is in the best interest of all who are part of HVAC.
The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) has taken a unique and intriguing approach to ensuring HVAC’s future success through its student chapters program.
In 2008, the state of Iowa passed statewide legislation requiring all HVAC technicians to be licensed. It’s a measure other states have taken, as well, with each state having unique criteria to determine the steps necessary to acquire such a license.
A skilled trades apprenticeship, specifically within HVAC, prepares up-and-coming technicians for a fulfilling career in a trade that doesn’t get the attention or publicity it so rightly deserves, as nearly everyone who goes through apprenticeship comes out a winner.