Two HVACR Programs Get PAHRA Accredited
Source: Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute
Contact: ARI Manager of Communication, (703) 524-8800
June 13, 2002
ARLINGTON, Va -- Great Oaks Institute of Technology's heating, ventilation air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) department and RETS Tech Center's HVACR department have received national accreditation through the Partnership for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA) program.
Accreditation from PAHRA certifies that the HVACR programs at these colleges have exceeded industry standards in its instruction, curriculum, student, faculty and facility standards set forth by industry in areas of residential air conditioning and heating, light commercial air conditioning and heating, and commercial refrigeration.
"It's a great thing for both our students and the industry," said Bob Feathers, RETS Tech Center's HVACR Department Head. "The students know they are getting the highest quality education available. And the industry knows we're doing things right, here at RETS Tech."
"This was not an easy feat," said Leslie Sandler, director of Education for the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI). "The standards set by professionals from within the industry are very high. PAHRA raised the bar for HVACR programs to achieve excellence, and these schools has proven they are up to the challenge." Sandler serves as executive director of the PAHRA program.
PAHRA is the only HVACR accreditation program that is validated by representatives from each major HVACR trade association and is available to all training programs, whether they are secondary, post secondary, public or private. It was created for the purpose of establishing national educational standards for accrediting HVACR programs.
To become accredited, a training school must first evaluate its own strengths and weaknesses as compared to industry standards and then submit its findings in a self-study report. A survey team then conducts an on-site visit to corroborate the self-study report.
Great Oaks Institute of Technology and RETS Tech Center join Linn State Technical College and Delaware Technical and Community College as the first schools in the country to receive PAHRA accreditation. Linn State and Delaware Tech received PAHRA accreditation in February.
Partnerships in PAHRA include the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the Gas Appliance Manufacturing Association (GAMA), the Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) and the Council of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators (CARE).
The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute is the trade association representing manufacturers of more than 90 percent of North American produced central air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment.
This and other news items may be found on the Internet at ARI's World Wide Web site, www.ari.org
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