Women in HVAC Careers
As is the case with most male-dominated industries, women are just as capable and qualified to succeed in HVAC as men – you just don’t hear about it very often. HVAC training, appliance service, and sales are fields traditionally occupied by men, but as older and more conservative generations of HVAC employers, mentors, and technicians retire, women have been gaining a finger-hold in the industry.
Many men, some who have been in the industry for decades, claim to never have run across a female co-worker in the entirety of their careers, or if they have, the numbers rarely exceed four or five. However, encouraged by the job stability and potential growth that comes with a career in HVAC, that could be changing. Women who already are successful in the HVAC industry are considered highly capable and efficient, and their skills are generally well respected; these women have paved the route for newcomers to HVAC.
Because it is a non-traditional area of interest for women, there are resources designed especially to promote, assist, and educate women pursuing an HVAC career. Women in HVACR is an all-women run organization which focuses on education and HVAC training for women interested in the myriad HVAC job opportunities available. Through this organization, women in different communities can connect with other members of Women in HVACR, especially using the capabilities of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
Some large-scale HVAC service companies actively recruit women in HVAC to improve male-to-female ratios. Women trying to break into the trade may have more luck in forward-thinking major corporations as opposed to close-knit union shops or old-school service shops. If a woman is qualified, though, and has a solid skill-set, she will be able to prove her place in any setting.
“Women in HVACR’s” primary goal is to encourage women to create a more substantial role for their gender in the HVAC industry – and it seems to be working. This year, the second-place winner of the SkillsUSA (a competition that recognizes the achievements of career and technical education students at the high school level) in Major Appliance Repair was Karissa Oliveira, a sophomore majoring in HVAC-R/Appliance Technology at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Oliveira is one among many women who, through HVAC training at a young age, is forging her way into the industry.
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