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Massachusetts made community college tuition-free for eligible students, and most HVAC contractors still don't know it happened. At Massasoit Community College's Future of Work Institute, that gap is the whole opportunity: a degree-granting HVAC program at the Canton campus, employers who can sponsor apprentices without building a training department, and a pipeline that connects the two from day one.
This conversation is part of our series on the people building the HVAC workforce: the coordinators, instructors, apprenticeship directors and employers turning the technician shortage into an opportunity for the next generation. Our first piece covered a high school HVAC program in Seaside, California. This time we're at the community college level. We asked David Johanson, Associate Dean of the Future of Work Institute, and Steven R. Sullivan, HVAC Project Coordinator at the Institute, how the program works, what MassEducate changes for employers, and how a contractor with a single apprentice can plug in. Their answers are below.
The program runs at Massasoit's Canton campus and covers refrigeration, electricity and controls, heating, heat pumps, load calculations, ductwork, hydronics, piping and building automation. It combines technical instruction with extensive hands-on laboratory training.
For employers, the real value is that this creates a much stronger bridge between education and employment. Instead of hiring someone completely cold and starting from zero, they are getting someone who already understands the language of the trade, has worked with the equipment and has demonstrated that they are serious about entering the industry.
That makes the student more employable and reduces some of the risk for the contractor.
Students train on functioning HVAC equipment, heat-pump systems, electrical and refrigeration trainers, advanced controls, and building-automation technology. The goal is for students to practice installation, diagnostics and troubleshooting, learning real-world applications on top of textbook theory.
The contractor still has to train that person in the field. There is no substitute for real jobsite experience. But the difference is that you're not introducing every concept for the very first time.
And as Massachusetts moves further toward electrification, heat pumps, energy efficiency and building controls, training students on current equipment becomes even more important.
Students work toward an Associate of Applied Science degree while completing instruction applicable to Massachusetts refrigeration licensing and apprenticeship requirements. The curriculum includes EPA Section 608 Universal certification, OSHA 10-hour safety training, next-generation refrigerants and high-efficiency heat-pump technology.
From an employer's perspective, credentials matter because they tell you that the person has already accomplished something before they arrive. You're not just interviewing somebody who says, "I'd like to try HVAC." You're interviewing somebody who has completed technical training, has hands-on experience and holds industry-recognized credentials.
They don't replace experience, and they don't make someone a journeyperson overnight, but they demonstrate commitment and provide the foundation employers can build upon.
Graduates can move into residential or commercial service, controls, system design, estimating, project management, sales, energy efficiency or facilities operations. The degree also creates a foundation for advancement into engineering and construction management pathways.
For an employer, that's important because you're not simply hiring someone for today's opening. You may be developing your next lead technician, supervisor, estimator, project manager or service manager. When an employer sees an employee developing and advancing within the company, that's where apprenticeship and workforce development become retention strategies as well as recruitment strategies.
The important thing is that the first opportunity opens the door.
MassEducate can cover tuition and fees for eligible Massachusetts residents who do not already have a bachelor's degree. Students must apply to Massasoit, complete the FAFSA or MASFA, enroll in an eligible degree or certificate program, and generally take at least six credits per semester. Some students also receive assistance with books and supplies.
This is a huge opportunity for employers. One of the biggest questions contractors ask is, "Who is going to pay for the education and training?" From the employer perspective, this can mean you have an employee who is working for you, gaining experience in the field, while also receiving structured education at Massasoit without the traditional tuition burden.
The employer can concentrate on providing the job, the supervision and the on-the-job learning, while the college provides the technical education.
It also expands the pool of potential employees because cost may no longer be the deciding factor for someone considering this career.
Employers need technicians, but they especially want people who understand the fundamentals, can troubleshoot safely and are prepared to keep learning. Controls, heat pumps and commercial systems are becoming increasingly important.
The challenge is not simply finding people who are interested in HVAC. Employers are looking for individuals who understand what the industry requires, have some foundational technical skills, show up consistently, work safely, and are ready to learn on the job.
That is where a partnership with Massasoit Community College, Building Mass Careers, ABC Massachusetts, and our employer partners can make a significant difference. We can help create a more direct pipeline from education into employment instead of leaving employers and students to find one another on their own.
Under the model we are developing, Massasoit would provide the related technical instruction and help manage the apprenticeship structure and reporting. The employer would provide paid employment, supervised on-the-job training and wage progression.
The goal is to make apprenticeship easier for employers to participate in, particularly small and mid-sized contractors that may not have their own training department.
That is one of the biggest problems we are trying to solve.
A young person or career changer can be told, "You need experience before we hire you," but they need someone to hire them in order to get that experience.
Students can develop practical skills in the Canton lab while connecting with employers who can provide supervised field experience. Once employed, their classroom instruction and on-the-job hours can progress together toward apprenticeship and licensing requirements.
Instead of saying to a student, "Go get trained and then hopefully find an employer," we are trying to connect education and employment from the beginning.
Employers gain access to established college courses, instructors, laboratories and administrative support. Eligible students may attend through MassEducate, reducing tuition costs, while employers avoid creating a complete technical-training program from scratch. Employers remain responsible for wages, supervision and on-the-job training.
If employers partner with a registered apprenticeship through Massasoit, Massasoit can help reduce the paperwork and administrative burden associated with apprenticeship reporting.
I would encourage an employer not to look at apprenticeship simply as a training expense. It is an investment in developing their future workforce. If you recruit a good person, train them correctly, and give them a pathway to advance, you have a much better opportunity to retain that employee over the long term.
Companies do not need a large apprenticeship class. One apprentice can be enough to start, provided the employer can offer steady work and qualified supervision. Massasoit can bring apprentices from several employers together for classroom instruction.
We want this pathway to work for the company that employs five people just as much as the company that employs five hundred. Starting with one apprentice allows a company to experience the process, understand the benefits, and potentially expand its participation in future years.
We are always seeking employer partners to place HVAC interns.
Prospective students to the degree program should apply to Massasoit and complete their FAFSA form.
Employers interested in hiring apprentices or partnering with the program can contact David Johanson, Associate Dean of the Future of Work Institute, at djohanson@massasoit.mass.edu.
The message I would give both employers and students is simple: start the conversation. You do not have to understand every apprenticeship regulation, licensing requirement, or training option before you call us. That is what the partnership is there to help you navigate.
The bigger objective here is creating a true school-to-career pathway.
For too long, we have treated education, apprenticeship, and employment as separate conversations. They really need to be one conversation.
A student should be able to see a clear progression: training, employment, apprenticeship, licensing and credentials, then career advancement.
And an employer should be able to see a clear workforce-development strategy: recruit, train, mentor, retain, grow.
When community colleges, employers, apprenticeship organizations, and workforce-development organizations work together, everybody benefits. Most importantly, we give people a realistic pathway into a family-sustaining career.
The technician shortage gets talked about like a weather system, something that happens to the industry. Massachusetts quietly built the fix: free technical education, an apprenticeship structure that carries the paperwork, and partners whose whole job is connecting the two.
Employers: Contact Steven R. Sullivan, HVAC Project Coordinator at the Future of Work Institute, at ssulliv34@massasoit.mass.edu, or David Johanson, Associate Dean, at djohanson@massasoit.mass.edu, to discuss apprenticeship sponsorship, internships and training partnerships.
Students and career changers: Apply to Massasoit, complete the FAFSA, and contact David Johanson at djohanson@massasoit.mass.edu with questions about the HVAC program and MassEducate eligibility.
If you're weighing your options in the trade, our Massachusetts HVAC guide has salary, licensing and school data for the state. When you're ready to look for entry-level work, apprentice and helper openings are posted on the board.
Run a training program, apprenticeship, or school partnership we should feature in this series? Email us at team@findhvacjobs.com. We publish a new conversation regularly, and each one puts your program in front of HVAC employers and future techs nationwide.
Thanks to David Johanson, Associate Dean of the Future of Work Institute at Massasoit Community College, and Steven R. Sullivan, HVAC Project Coordinator at the Institute, for taking the time to answer our questions.
