The construction industry is growing and evolving every day, and that pace will only accelerate if President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill is passed by Congress and fully implemented. Construction companies will need many more trained workers with a variety of skill sets to fill development opportunities across the city, the state, and the nation.
One of the top growing areas in construction is heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) installation. Increasingly, our partners are prioritizing HVAC certification when seeking to fill open jobs. HVAC is integral to the success of New York City buildings and must be installed in compliance with building and energy codes as well as health and safety standards.
These standards evolve over time as technology advances and new regulations come online. Companies are in constant need of trained, well-prepared workers who understand these increasingly complex systems.
Building Skills is collaborating with local community colleges and fellow workforce development organizations to implement a free technical skills training program that seeks to address the skills gap in the industry and meet rising contractor expectations.
The goal is to help students pair skills development and professional pathway goals for advancement in High Efficiency HVAC. By the end of these trainings, participants will know how to install, maintain, and repair HVAC units successfully and efficiently.
Workers with HVAC training can expect to work with light commercial systems, electric motors, circuits, air ducts, heat pumps, boilers, burners, furnaces, fans, and other heating/cooling systems authorized across the five boroughs. Heat pump installation is a particularly useful skill set, for example, as the technology is growing increasingly popular due to clean energy mandates implemented at the local, state, and federal levels to combat climate change.
Building Skills NY estimates that 80 percent of those trained will be successfully placed in a skills-relevant job, internship, or apprenticeship. This is a clear-cut, efficient point of entry for anyone interested advancing in the construction sector. To learn more about this free training program, please check out our website: https://buildingskillsny.org/