Roughly 200 HVACR instructors from across the country recently came together for three days of training and networking at the 19th annual HVACR & Mechanical Conference for Education Professionals in Baltimore. The event, held this year at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute, is sponsored by more than a dozen industry organizations, including Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); ACCA, Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI); the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE); ASHRAE; the Council of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators (CARE); SkillsUSA; and North American Technician Excellence (NATE).
While the conference included numerous training sessions and presentations to help instructors hone their skills, it also provided an opportunity for attendees to bounce ideas off one another as they tried to solve the most pressing issue currently facing HVACR educators in the U.S. — how to attract new talent to the industry.