Budderfly partners with trade schools nationwide to expand clean energy workforce
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Shelton-based Budderfly has partnered with trade schools nationwide to help train and expand the clean energy workforce.
Budderfly, the Shelton-based energy efficiency company, announced Thursday it will partner with trade schools nationwide to help increase the number of qualified skilled workers in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) industry.
The partnership will focus on training energy technicians, with Budderfly investing in state-of-the-art energy technologies, including heat pumps, ultra-high-performance HVAC units, and advanced HVAC control systems, the company said.
Trade schools will provide hands-on training to help build a skilled workforce for the clean energy economy, Budderfly said.
"Concerted efforts must be put toward workforce development if we are to sustain a clean energy economy,” said Al Subbloie, Budderfly founder and CEO. “Our company is growing at a rapid pace, and we are constantly running into challenges to keep up with volume and demand due to a lack of skilled equipment installers.”
Subbloie said partnering with trade schools to train the next generation of workers on the latest technology “will help overcome this barrier, not just for us, but for the industry as a whole.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an aging workforce and insufficient recruiting efforts have led to a 50% decrease in the number of certified HVAC technicians over the past decade. Demand for skilled HVAC technicians, however, is expected to grow by 6% annually through 2032, adding nearly 40,000 new jobs each year, BLS said.
Budderfly said that, along with its equipment partners such as Fujitsu, Carrier and Lennox, it can provide access to more sophisticated technologies, allowing trade and technical schools nationwide to upgrade their teaching capabilities.
Jennifer Nunes, national director of career services at Lincoln Tech in Connecticut, called the partnership with Budderfly a “transformative opportunity” for students.
“Trade schools don’t always have access to the latest or most innovative technologies and we often have to train students using outdated equipment,” Nunes said. “Through our partnership with Budderfly, we can better train our students and ensure that they are job-ready and equipped to deliver high-quality work from day one.”
Budderfly, which delivers energy as a service (EaaS) to more than 6,200 customer sites across the United States, is now accepting applications from trade schools and experienced HVAC technicians to join its network of energy technicians. Visit its website for information.
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