The National HVACR Education Conference will host a landmark session this March designed to redefine how the next generation of HVACR professionals are trained. The HVACR Manufacturer’s Summit: Preparing the Workforce for the Systems of Tomorrow will unite the world’s leading HVACR manufacturers on one stage with a shared mission: to confront the growing disconnect between modern HVACR technology and workforce preparedness.

Panel Participants Include:

• Bosch Home Comfort Group
• Daikin Comfort Technologies
• Fujitsu General
• Lennox Industries
• LG Electronics
• Midea
• Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US
• Rheem Manufacturing

This is not a future-tech discussion. It is a readiness check. The HVACR industry is undergoing the most significant technological transformation in its history. Low-GWP refrigerants, inverter-driven and variable-speed systems, intelligent controls, connected diagnostics, and high-performance heat pumps are no longer emerging. They are the new standard, and the pace of change is accelerating faster than educational systems can adapt.

Across Europe, R-290 monobloc heat pump systems are already standard. In commercial refrigeration, CO₂ (R-744) systems are now the dominant growth technology. These are not experimental technologies; they represent the direction of the global HVACR industry today. The question is not if these systems will become part of the U.S. market, but how many will be installed this month, and how prepared our workforce is for this change.

Yet a growing disconnect exists between what manufacturers are engineering, manufacturing, and selling through HVACR distribution today, and what many training programs HVACR facilities are teaching. While legacy equipment will remain in the field for years, new equipment requiring entirely new skill sets is now the standard.

Manufacturers and employers consistently report that most graduates entering the workforce today are unprepared for the systems they encounter on day one. To confront this challenge, a group of the world’s leading HVACR manufacturers; companies that normally compete fiercely for market share, are uniting on one stage with a single shared mission: To ensure the next generation of HVACR professionals is equipped with the foundational skills that the future demands.

This landmark summit brings together global manufacturing leaders to deliver a unified, candid call to action for HVACR education. Together, these industry leaders will share real-world insights on how today’s equipment is being designed, what skills technicians are lacking, and what educators must prioritize to close the growing readiness gap. Expect open, candid dialogue about what is working, what is not, and what must change.

This is more than a panel. It is a turning point. If you are an instructor, trainer, or program decision-maker responsible for preparing the next generation of technicians, this session will challenge assumptions, clarify priorities, and equip you with the insights needed to future-proof your program.

Attend this summit, because the systems your students will be working on tomorrow are already being built and installed today.

Learn more and register here.