Building Talent Foundation (BTF) has formed a partnership with Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) in order to promote heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) careers. Together, the organizations will work to attract young people into the sector and help establish a pipeline of talent for the industry’s future.
ACCA is a nationwide, nonprofit association for professionals that install and maintain HVACR systems. The organization is dedicated to promoting professionalism in the contracting industry and setting the standard for proper HVACR system design, installation, and maintenance procedures.
“I am thrilled about this partnership because it opens so many internship and job opportunities for our program participants, and we care deeply about connecting people with excellent companies,” says BTF CEO Branka Minic. “This partnership will not only grant young people and individuals from underrepresented groups access to employment and on-the-job training with quality ACCA companies, but it will also contribute to the growth and revitalization of the HVACR industry through a younger workforce.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects over 40,000 annual HVACR job openings through 2030, primarily due to retirements outpacing the entry of new technicians into the field. The partnership between BTF and ACCA aims to address the job shortage challenges by promoting careers, working to connect HVACR program graduates and job seekers with internship and employment opportunities provided by ACCA member companies.
“For the past decade, ACCA’s top priority has been addressing the skilled workforce shortages that have limited ACCA’s members’ ability to grow their businesses,” says ACCA president and CEO Barton James. “Helping ACCA companies recruit, hire, and keep the best talent in their markets through this partnership with BTF is one more powerful tool in our toolbox for our members to access. ACCA members will now have a chance to hire from a new, diverse pool of qualified candidates.”
James says the collaboration will help show the HVACR industry is a “great place for talented people to have long-lasting careers” and will help enhance the standards of HVACR practices nationwide.
BTF was established by 20 leading home building companies and is committed to building a sustainable residential construction workforce. The organization’s mission is to advance the education, training, and career progression of young people and people from underrepresented groups as skilled technical workers and business owners in residential construction.
BTF has recently entered partnerships with SkillPointe Foundation, the Southern Careers Institute in Texas, M.T. Copeland Technologies, the Painting Contractors Association, StrataTech Education Group, the Floor Covering Education Foundation, Friendly House, NextWave Safety Solutions, North State Building Industry Foundation, and the California Homebuilding Foundation to provide career coaching and job placement services to students involved with each organization
