SHELTON, Conn. — June 27, 2024 — Budderfly, the preferred sustainability partner for commercial businesses with repeatable footprints, is partnering with trade schools nationwide to address the persistent lack of qualified “high tech” skilled labor in the HVAC/R industry. The partnership will focus on training energy technicians, with Budderfly investing in state-of-the-art energy technologies, including heat pumps, ultra-high-performance HVAC units, and advanced HVAC control systems. The trade schools will deliver hands-on training, unlocking an accelerated path to growth and helping build a skilled workforce for the clean energy economy.
“Concerted efforts must be put toward workforce development if we are to sustain a clean energy economy. Our company is growing at a rapid pace, and we are constantly running into challenges to keep up with volume and demand due to a lack of skilled equipment installers,” said Al Subbloie, chief executive officer and founder of Budderfly. “Partnering with trade schools to educate and train the next generation of workers on the latest technology will overcome this barrier, not just for us, but for the industry as a whole. We look forward to preparing the next generation of workers for long, thriving careers.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an aging workforce and insufficient recruitment efforts have led to a 50% decrease in the number of certified HVAC technicians over the past decade. As the built environment takes additional steps to decarbonize, demand for skilled HVAC technicians will grow by 6% annually through 2032, adding nearly 40,000 new jobs each year.
With access to more sophisticated technologies through Budderfly, and its equipment partners like Fujitsu, Carrier, Lennox, and others, trade and technical schools across the country can level up their teaching capabilities.
“Partnering with Budderfly is a transformative opportunity for our students,” said Jennifer Nunes, National Director of Career Services at Lincoln Tech in Connecticut. “Trade schools don’t always have access to the latest or most innovative technologies and we often have to train students using outdated equipment. Through our partnership with Budderfly, we can better train our students and ensure that they are job-ready and equipped to deliver high-quality work from day one.”
“A skilled workforce is essential to maximize the benefits of energy-efficient technologies and to meaningfully reduce carbon emissions,” said Tomokazu Hosoi, president of Fujitsu General America, one of Budderfly’s preferred equipment providers. “Initiatives like this partnership with trade schools are crucial in helping develop the expertise needed to operate and maintain these advanced solutions effectively and for a long time.”
Budderfly delivers Energy as a Service (EaaS) solutions to more than 6,200 customer sites across the United States. Investing in a well-trained workforce, equipped with the most advanced skills to install and service complex energy technologies, is essential to reduce the number of unfilled jobs in its pipeline and accelerate growth.
