ARLINGTON, Va. — The HVACR training programs at Vernon College, Wichita Falls, Texas, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pa., and Vern Riffe Pike County Career Technology Center, Piketon, Ohio, have all 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 colleges have exceeded industry standards in instruction, curriculum, student, faculty qualification, and facility standards set forth by the industry in the areas of residential air conditioning and heating, light commercial air conditioning and heating, and commercial refrigeration.

The PAHRA program is validated by representatives from the major HVACR trade associations and is available to all 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.

The program launched in January 2001. Since then, a total of 12 schools have received accreditation through the PAHRA program. For a list of these schools, visit www.pahrahvacr.org.

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

Publication date: 09/22/2003