This Monday, St. Lawrence College (SLC) held an official launch for their new Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic Program.
The hybrid program officially opened to in-class learning at the beginning of August, when students come to SLC’s Kingston campus for three weeks of intensive, 40 hour a week in-class learning after already completing 12 weeks of part time online schooling.
In a release, the college thanked Wolseley Canada Inc. and Reliance Home Comfort for gifts-in-kind that allowed the new HVAC lab to be outfitted with modern equipment and tools.
President Glenn Vollebregt said it provides students with a real-world setting for learning.
“The new HVAC Lab and hybrid delivery represents a significant step forward in our efforts to equip future HVAC professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this essential industry,” Vollebregt said.
“We have already seen tremendous support and need from local employers for this and look forward to training apprentices to fill labour market needs.”
Aidan Wornes, Associate Dean of Skilled Trades, says this was added to St. Lawrence’s offerings based on feedback from employers in the region pointing to a need for more HVAC technicians, especially residential technicians as the government has incentivized homeowners to upgrade their heating systems to be more environmentally friendly.
He says in the last decade it has become more of an industry need.
“The greater focus on lower carbon emissions and less fossil fuels really pushed the market into switching people over or supplementing their natural gas heat with electric,” Wornes said.
“And the best efficient option for that is heat pumps.”
Wornes says the way the program is offered allows flexibility for those already working in the trades looking to diversify their skillset and what they may be able to offer employers, potentially acting as a stepping stone to commercial HVAC.
“There is the other trade the 313, which is more commercial refrigeration which has more availability for seats,” Wornes said.
“So our our take on it was offer the 313 D, which is the residential, which is an underutilized trade and offer seats so we can get more people into the trade.”
SLC teamed up with Support Ontario Youth on Monday to deliver the Tools in the Trade bootcamp focused on HVAC and Masonry – the bootcamp is in North York tomorrow for its last stop of August.
