- Ten Fieldpiece #MasteroftheTrade HVACR Scholarships Now Available to SkillsUSA Students
Fieldpiece Instruments, a leader in tool and test instruments for HVACR professionals for over 30 years, today announced it has joined forces with SkillsUSA to present $25,000 in scholarship opportunities as a way to give back to the industry it serves. SkillsUSA, a consortium of students, teachers and trade industries working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce, has long had an aim to close the skills gap in the U.S. labor market by sponsoring heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) scholarships for trade and technical students. Thanks to the new grant from Fieldpiece Instruments, ten SkillsUSA students studying HVACR in their junior or senior year of high school, or as college or postsecondary students, will receive a $2,500 #MasteroftheTrade scholarship to continue their education in a college or postsecondary HVACR technology program.
“80,000 HVACR technician jobs are currently unfilled — representing 39 percent of the total industry workforce. At the same time, the industry is losing an estimated 20,000 technician jobs per year due to the retirement of an aging workforce or basic career attrition rates.”
“Fieldpiece’s dedication to this field extends well beyond just equipping field professionals with the highest quality and most innovative tools so they can do their jobs faster, easier and better,” said Rachel Newport, director of marketing at Fieldpiece Instruments. “Fieldpiece is also committed to supporting the next generation of up-and-coming HVACR professionals in this fantastic trade. We’ve recently launched free online training resources via Fieldpiece University, an online platform designed to keep industry professionals at the top of their game; and today, we are delighted to announce the Fieldpiece and SkillsUSA #MasteroftheTrade scholarship to further give back to the industry.”
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Through the partnership, Fieldpiece Instruments is addressing a shortage of trained labor in the HVACR industry. According to an article published by HVACR Business in September, “80,000 HVACR technician jobs are currently unfilled representing 39 percent of the total industry workforce. At the same time, the industry is losing an estimated 20,000 technician jobs per year due to the retirement of an aging workforce or basic career attrition rates.”
“We sincerely thank Fieldpiece Instruments for supporting America’s future skilled workforce,” said Chelle Travis, executive director at SkillsUSA. “There is a critical need for more HVACR technicians. We are rolling up our sleeves every day to provide career and technical education, and to forge meaningful partnerships between education and industry that result in a better-trained HVACR workforce and a shrinking skills gap. Working together with Fieldpiece Instruments, we can make this happen.”
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To apply for the #MasteroftheTrade Scholarship, applicants must be SkillsUSA members enrolled in its HVACR or general construction programs who plan to study HVACR at the college or postsecondary level in the 2022-23 (high school seniors) or 2023-24 school year (high school juniors). The scholarship application must include a résumé and either an essay (300 words or fewer) or a video (1-3 minutes) answering the question: “Why have you chosen a career in HVACR?” The scholarship opens Dec. 1 and applications must be submitted by March 1, 2022. Scholarship recipients will be announced on May 16, 2022.
Scholarships will be awarded based on the merit of the application including the essay or video and the proficiency of the SkillsUSA Framework skills demonstrated in the application materials. To receive the funds, scholarship recipients must provide an acceptance letter from their postsecondary education program or their first semester tuition invoice. The funds will be distributed directly to the school.
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