HVACR

North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council Announces First-of-Its-Kind Refrigeration Technician Training Event

Co-hosted with Southern California Edison, the event will provide natural refrigerant technician training from multiple manufacturers and industry experts.

MILL VALLEY, California—February 15, 2023—The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, today announced the first-ever Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in Irwindale, California April 4 – 6, 2023. Created for refrigeration technicians of all experience levels, the event is free to attend and will offer comprehensive training on the latest natural refrigerant technologies.  

The summit was inspired by NASRC’s Workforce Development Assessment Report recommendations, which outlined the commercial refrigeration industry’s increasingly critical technician shortage. Published in January 2023, the report proposed data-driven solutions to improve technician recruitment, training, and retention to grow the workforce.

“A key takeaway from our workforce development assessment was the need to increase training opportunities and prepare technicians for the transition to climate-friendly refrigerants,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “The goal of this event is to provide convenient, comprehensive, and relevant training for technicians to ensure their ongoing success in the future.”

Leading industry experts and manufacturers will provide concurrent training sessions on CO2 fundamentals, CO2 installation, maintenance and troubleshooting, CO2 case controllers, propane (R-290) self-contained cases, and micro-distributed systems. For a complete list of training providers and up-to-date program information, visit nasrc.org/training.

While the training portion of the event is open to refrigeration technicians, local HVACR students are invited to participate in a networking session on April 4 to increase exposure to natural refrigerant technologies and build industry connections.

The training summit is offered free of charge thanks to the generous support of premium event sponsors: AHT Cooling Systems USA, BITZER US, CAREL USA, Climate Pros, CoolSys, Emerson, Hillphoenix, Parker Sporlan, Piping Industry Progress & Education (PIPE), and The Arcticom Group.

Register for the free Natural Refrigerant Training Summit.

About the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by traditional HFC refrigerants. We collaborate with stakeholders from across the industry, including over 51,000 food retail locations, to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. For more information, visit nasrc.org, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Announcing Our Nat Ref Summit Trainers!

Announcing Our Expert Trainers!

We're pleased to announce the training providers for the first-ever Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in Irwindale, California. Co-hosted with Southern California Edison (SCE), this free, 3-day event will provide refrigeration technicians with comprehensive training on the latest natural refrigerant technologies. 

Participating technicians can build their own agendas and choose from a variety of concurrent training sessions from the following providers: 

  • Hussmann

  • Kysor Warren

  • Sporlan / Micro Thermo

  • Refrigeration Mentor

  • True Manufacturing

  • Zero Zone

  • AHT Cooling Systems USA

  • BITZER US 

  • CAREL USA

  • Danfoss

  • Emerson

  • Hillphoenix

Space is limited and field technicians will receive registration priority.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Premium Sponsors

Basic Sponsors

Featured
Arctic Cooling Systems
Kysor Warren
M&M Carnot

Register Now! Natural Refrigerant Training Summit

Training Summit Registration Now Open!

NASRC is proud to offer the first-ever Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in Irwindale, California. Co-hosted with Southern California Edison (SCE), this free, 3-day event will provide comprehensive training for refrigeration technicians on latest natural refrigerant technologies.

Technicians will have access to concurrent trainings from multiple industry experts as well as an exhibit hall showcasing the latest natural refrigerant products and services. Local HVACR students will also be invited to participate in a networking session to increase exposure to our industry.

Space is limited and field technicians will receive registration priority.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

New CO2 Curriculum To Accelerate Natural Refrigerant Training

Trade+School.jpg

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) and ESCO Group are collaborating on the development of a CO2 curriculum for community college and trade school HVACR programs. Together, they hope to address one of the root causes contributing to a shortage of technicians trained to install and service natural refrigerant technologies.

Natural refrigerants - including CO2, ammonia, and hydrocarbons – are climate friendly alternatives to traditional HFC refrigerants and have been identified as one of the most impactful climate solutions globally. As a result, supermarkets are facing increasing regulatory pressure to transition to climate-friendly refrigerant alternatives. But market barriers such as high upfront costs, a lack of performance data, and a shortage of technicians trained in natural refrigerants have prevented the widespread adoption of natural refrigerants. 

Several factors contribute to the technician training challenge, including a shrinking workforce and limited training opportunities and resources. But in many cases, it begins with a lack of exposure to natural refrigerants during initial training because natural refrigerants have not been incorporated into school curricula at a national level.

NASRC is a 501c3 nonprofit working in partnership with over 130 stakeholders from the supermarket refrigeration industry to overcome the barriers to natural refrigerant adoption in supermarkets, including technician training.

“Technicians should be exposed to advanced refrigeration technologies, including natural refrigerants, as early as possible in their training,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “We’re pleased to be partnering with ESCO Group to ensure new technicians entering the field are prepared to expand on their natural refrigerant training and work on the latest technology innovations.” 

ESCO Group, an educational and training body for the HVACR industry, is the primary source of HVACR curriculum for schools in the US and a leading training entity for school instructors through their annual HVAC Excellence Conference.

“As the industry shifts its focus to low-GWP and natural refrigerants, the ESCO Group is honored to be working with the NASRC on the development of a CO2 curriculum,” said Randy Petit, CMHE, ESCO Group vice president of program development. “With a mission to improve the technical competency of the HVACR industry through standards, certification, and education, ESCO is excited to be part of developing a program that will provide a strong foundation for commercial refrigeration technicians of the future.”

NASRC and ESCO Group have formed a committee composed of CO2 experts, training specialists, contractors and technicians, equipment manufacturers, and school representatives to help develop the curriculum. The curriculum is expected to be finalized and available to schools in 2021.

“Once the curriculum is complete, our goal is to see it widely adopted by HVACR programs across the country to build a future technician workforce that is well-versed in CO2 technologies,” said Wright.

To get involved in the committee, contact NASRC at info@nasrc.org.

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