CANTON TWP. – The need for skilled heating, cooling and ventilation workers is on the rise, and local career technical programs hope they can help meet the need.
South Stark Career Academy opened a new heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration building on the campus of Canton South High School last month. And R.G. Drage Career Technical Center has completed an upgrade to its program with a 13,000-square-foot addition that houses an HVAC lab and four new classrooms.
“With AI and automation, our industry remains people-focused,” said John Moore, president of the Chagrin Falls-based Air Conditioning Contractors of Ohio and general manager at Hauser Air in Blue Ash. “Ours is a people-driven industry. You can’t bring a robot in (to do our jobs).
“We are always going to have a place (in the workforce) and the demand is going to get higher.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that heating, air conditioning and refrigeration jobs were projected to grow 8% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the average for all occupations. The industry is expected to see 40,100 job openings each year over that 10-year period.
Moore cited data centers and marijuana growing operations as examples of industries that require cool buildings — and that’s where HVAC specialists come in.
He said programs, such as the new ones at South Stark and R.G. Drage, are producing skilled workers ready to enter the workforce and make a sustainable living. He said graduates of the programs could earn as much as $40,000 to $60,000 in their first year and can easily advance without having to do more training or education.
“When you look at the average living wage in Ohio it is $19.40 per hour,” Moore said. “And the average yearly wage is $60,000. They are right there and even exceeding it.”
A skilled workforce brings prosperity
In his six months as lieutenant governor, wherever Jim Tressel travels, he hears the same thing from business and industry leaders: They need workers.
During his nine-year tenure as the president of Youngtown State University, he heard a similar complaint.
“The No. 1 thing we (business and industry) need: We need a workforce. We need things to keep Ohioans here so that we can continue to be the extraordinary state we are,” Tressel said when he stopped by Aug. 15 for the opening of the new South Stark Career Academy building.
In 2023, Krista Gearhart, then director of the Career Academy, met with legislators to inform them that they wanted to add more trade classes, but it would require millions to build a facility to house the classes and secure the necessary equipment.
They listened and provided $4.2 million in state funding for the project. The HVAC-R program will serve juniors and seniors from Canton Local, Osnaburg Local, Perry Local and Sandy Valley.
“This project is greater than bricks, mortar and ventilation,” Canton Local Superintendent Larry Tausch said. “It’s about opportunity.”
The project will provide its participants with real-world training and strengthen the area workforce, he added.
Career tech education has changed over the years, going from a place where kids with no path after graduation attended to now kids are competing to get into those programs, South Stark Director Brian Mohn said.
This year, 78% of the Canton South junior class will take a career tech course.
“That speaks volumes to what it means and what they do after graduation,” he added.
The new HVAC-R program had the third most applicants among the career tech offerings.
“We are meeting the needs of our local companies,” Mohn said. “They want these kids to fill the holes in their trades and we are putting out tremendous workers (from our program).”
Inside the South Stark, R.G. Drage programs
The 9,850-square-foot facility, adjacent to the Hayden Career Technical Annex on the Canton South High School campus, houses the latest equipment and tools to provide hands-on training to students.
The building includes a 3,275-square-foot lab, a storage mezzanine and three classrooms. Students have direct access to a covered exterior work area. There is also a refrigeration room.
Program participants will be trained in a number of areas such as refrigeration handling and recovery, electrical diagnostics, AC and heating system installation, repair and maintenance, ductwork fabrication and installation, and compliance with building codes and safety standards.
The program will have 24 juniors and 12 seniors this school year, Mohn said.
Upon completing the program, students will be able to enter the workforce or continue their education. Many students will leave with certifications, including an Environmental Protection Agency certification.
At R.G. Drage, the new state-of-the-art lab will provide students an opportunity to gain the skills and industry credentials with the industry’s best equipment and tools, Drage Director Dan Muprhy has said. The addition was prompted by growth in the HVAC program.
The existing space was cramped. The program can accommodate 25 juniors and 25 seniors.
Mohn said entry-level salaries for these students could be around $45,000 to $50,000, with the possibility of quickly advancing in their position and salary.
Drew Hladky, the South Stark program’s instructor, is excited to get started. He’s been in the HVAC business for about 15 years and teaches night courses.
“It’s important to entice these kids with what they can earn,” Hladky said. “They can be real earners in the workforce. I can relate to them because I was a 16-year-old and I did the same thing.”
Local labor unions and businesses also are anxious to find a younger, skilled workforce, he said.
Vinny Leasure, a project manager for Massillon-based Whisler Plumbing and Heating, said a younger workforce is needed as the existing workforce is getting older and many are retiring. Whisler, along with a number of other local businesses, including Crescenze Cooling & Heating in Tuscarawas Township, worked with SSCA officials on the project.
It’s hard to replace those employees, he added.
“We need trained employees,” he said. “There is such a high demand and so many opportunities.”
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: HVAC industry isn’t cooling. South Stark, R.G. Drage step up as worker demand grows
Reporting by Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent / The Repository
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