Four HVACR Programs Have Received Accreditation Through The PAHRA Program
September 21, 2004 -- Contact
(703-524-8800)
ARLINGTON, VA -- The heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) training programs at Alaska’s Vocational Technical Center, in Seward, Alaska, Ben Franklin Career Center, in Dunbar, West Virginia, North High School, in Akron, Ohio, and R.G. Drage Career Technical Center, in Massillon, Ohio have received national accreditation through the Partnership for Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA) program.
Accreditation from PAHRA certifies that the HVACR programs at these institutions have exceeded industry standards in its instruction, curriculum, student, faculty qualification and facility standards set forth by industry in areas of residential air conditioning and heating, light commercial air conditioning and heating, and commercial refrigeration.
"Undergoing the accreditation process has been a learning experience for myself, and our administration," said Eric Clock, Facility Maintenance/Mechanical Instructor at Alaska Vocational Technical Center. "It gave us a chance to evaluate our program and compare it to others on a national level. As a result of the accreditation, our school has achieved national recognition and been the recipient of valuable and useful equipment donations."
"I recommend the PAHRA accreditation process to any HVAC instructional program," said Kevin Cook, HVAC Instructor at North High School. "The help, the support, the direction offered will compliment any HVAC institution. And thanks our PAHRA accreditation, my students will grow to be a valuable asset to the community and the world at large."
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.
The program launched in January 2001. Since then, a total of sixteen schools have received accreditation through the PAHRA program. For a list of these schools visit www.pahrahvacr.org.
Partnerships in PAHRA include the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Council of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators (CARE), the Gas Appliance Manufacturing Association (GAMA), the Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), and the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors-National Association (PHCC).
This and other news items may be found on the Internet at PAHRA’s Web site: www.pahrahvacr.org.
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