Career Resources

There is huge demand for plumbers and, as a result, many organizations have setup a number of programs to aid those who are interested in learning more about and getting started in the profession. Here are a few websites to help those interested in becoming a plumber to start their career:

Professional plumbing organizations

Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association. The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association is America’s premiere trade group for the p-h-c professional. PHCC has more than 3,500 open and union shop contractor members who successfully manage businesses in residential service and new construction, commercial and industrial markets.
www.phccweb.org/

American Society of Plumbing Engineers. The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) is the international organization for professionals skilled in the design, specification and inspection of plumbing systems. ASPE is dedicated to the advancement of the science of plumbing engineering, to the professional growth and advancement of its members and the health, welfare and safety of the public.
aspe.org/about

American Supply Association. ASA is the nation’s premier advocate for distributors and manufacturers in the PHCP and PVF industry. The association serves as an advocate to the industry while providing essential business solutions and resources to help its member succeed.
www.asa.net/

There is huge demand for HVAC technicians and, as a result, many organizations have setup a number of programs to aid those who are interested in learning more about and getting started in the profession.
Here are a few websites to help those interested in becoming an HVAC technician to start their career:

Professional organizations

North American Technician Excellence. North American Technician Excellence (NATE) is the nation’s largest non-profit certification organization for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, NATE is the certification organization governed, owned, operated, developed and supported by the entire HVACR industry.
www.natex.org/about-nate/what-is-nate/

American Comfort, Inc. ACI (Affordable Comfort, Inc.) is a nonprofit professional association dedicated to making every home healthy, comfortable, and resource-efficient. Since 1986, ACI has served as an unbiased go-to resource for home performance and weatherization, bringing together industry leaders for the purpose of education, professional networking, and business-to-business collaborations.
www.affordablecomfort.org/

Air Conditioning Contractors of America. ACCA is a non-profit association serving more than 60,000 professionals and 4,000 businesses in the indoor environment and energy services community, working together to promote professional contracting, energy efficiency, and healthy, comfortable indoor environments. Our roots stretch back to the early part of the 20th century, and the organization was incorporated in its present form over 40 years ago.
www.acca.org/

Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is the trade association representing manufacturers of HVACR and water heating equipment within the global industry.
www.ahrinet.org/

Air Movement and Control Association International, Inc. The Air Movement and Control Association International, Inc. is a not-for-profit international association of the world’s manufacturers of related air system equipment – primarily, but not limited to: fans, louvers, dampers, air curtains, airflow measurement stations, acoustic attenuators, and other air system components for the industrial, commercial and residential markets.
www.amca.org/

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than 54,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.
www.ashrae.org/

Eastern Heating & Cooling Council. The Eastern Heating & Cooling Council is a non-profit educational organization comprised of HVAC contractors, distributors, manufacturers and other trade allies. Since its formation in 1990, the Council has provided quality technical training to the HVAC community throughout the United States, offering a large selection of courses and seminars.
www.eh-cc.org/

ESCO Group. ESCO Group provides; curriculum, programmatic accreditation, student outcome assessments, certification (professional, industry, government), educator credentialing, standard development, publishing services, custom software development. Additionally, our ESCO Institute affiliate is the largest provider of the EPA Section 608 Certification.
www.escogroup.org/

HVAC Excellence. HVAC Excellence is a not for profit organization that has been serving the HVACR industry since 1994. It is our goal to improve competency through validation of the technical education process. The success of our current and future workforce depends upon everyone in the HVACR industry continually validating and updating their skills at all levels; students, technicians and educators. Additionally, we need to ensure that training programs are meeting the necessary standards to ensure a highly skilled workforce and that the individuals responsible for training are knowledgeable and competent in their technical and teaching skills.

To fulfill these goals, HVAC Excellence has developed the following elements needed to achieve a competent workforce:

• Programmatic Accreditation – a process to ensure that HVACR educational programs meet the necessary standards to properly train our industry’s future workforce.
• Educator Credentialing Exams – a rigorous series of examinations to validate that an instructor has mastered the subject matter needed to teach the competencies of their curriculum.
• Employment Ready Certifications – assessments utilized to determine that HVACR graduates are prepared to enter the workforce.
• Professional Level Technician Certifications – exams to validate that field technicians possess the retained knowledge to be competent and to identify what specific professional development they may need.
• Master Specialist Hands On Certifications – to validate the current work force can apply their technical knowledge in a performance based assessment.
• Professional Development – specifically designed for educators and trainers, the National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference provides and annual forum, which all industry educators and trainers can attend, to stay current with technology updates and teaching techniques while also providing for ample networking and relation building opportunities.

HVAC Excellence Programs: Identify areas of weakness in education, Assists employers with hiring competent technicians, Allows the public to identify competent technicians, pinpoints current deficiencies in the technical workforce for education program development, and Aids manufacturers in warranty cost reduction.
www.hvacexcellence.org/

Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA). The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) was established in 1995 to promote uniform standards, procedures and protocols in the Indoor Air Quality industry. In 2005 IAQA’s membership was consolidated with two very similar organizations: The American Council for Accredited Certifications (ACAC) and the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO).
www.iaqa.org/

International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA). The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is a non-profit, member-driven organization established in 1987 to advance ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology on local, state, national and international levels. Headquartered on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, IGSHPA utilizes state-of-the-art facilities for conducting GSHP system installation training and geothermal research. With its access to the most current advancements in the geothermal industry, IGSHPA is the ideal bridge between the latest technology and the people who benefit from these developments.
www.igshpa.okstate.edu/

Partnership for Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA). The Partnership for Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA) is an independent, third party organization that is a partnership between heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) educators and the HVACR industry that will award accreditation to programs that have met and/or exceeded industry validated standards.
www.pahraHVACr.org/

There is huge demand for electricians and, as a result, many organizations have setup a number of programs to aid those who are interested in learning more about and getting started in the profession.

Here are a few websites to help those interested in becoming an electrician to start their career:

Professional organizations

National Electrical Contractors Association. NECA contractors set industry standards for traditional and integrated electrical systems and lead the industry in the practical application of new technologies
www.necanet.org/

Independent Electrical Contractors. The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) is a national trade association for merit shop electrical and systems contractors. With almost 3,000 member companies in 56 chapters throughout the USA, the association serves as the voice of the electrical and systems contracting industry on policies affecting its membership.
www.ieci.org/

Apprenticeships

Union Apprenticeship and Training Programs

IBEW – NECA. This joint program between the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) demonstrates a cost-effective way to train qualified craft workers. Local programs affiliated with the NJATC have trained over 350,000 apprentices to journeyman status without cost to the taxpayers.
www.njatc.org/

Independent Apprenticeship and Training Programs Independent Electrical Contractors. The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) is a national trade association for merit shop electrical and systems contractors. With almost 3,000 member companies in 56 chapters throughout the USA, the association serves as the voice of the electrical and systems contracting industry on policies affecting its membership.
www.ieci.org/

National Association of Homebuilders. The NAHB is a trade association that helps promote the policies that make housing a national priority in the United States. Since 1942, NAHB has been serving its members, the housing industry, and the public at large.
www.nahb.org/

National Center for Construction Education and Research. The NCCER is a not-for-profit education foundation created to develop standardized construction and maintenance curricula and assessments with portable, industry-recognized credentials.
www.nccer.org/