Less than five per cent of employees in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) industry are women - a figure that Nathalie Brooks is on a mission to change.
The local woman who owns Georgetown’s Brooks Heating and Air with husband Chris is also the co-founder of Women in HVAC-R Canada.
The nationwide organization strives to promote the inclusion and advancement of women in the profession.
With so few females choosing the career, and even less gravitating to the hands-on HVAC-R jobs available, Brooks said it’s her goal to “introduce, mentor and guide women who want to get into this important skilled trade.”
“Heating and air conditioning is an essential service, which is suffering a huge decline in the workforce as many trades people age out of their careers,” she said, noting that not enough young men are going into the trades either to fill the gap.
Women in HVAC-R Canada got its start locally just before the pandemic and spread across the country following a talk Brooks did at an industry Women Empowering Women event.
“I brought up the Women in HVAC concept; it was sort of a call to action to see if anyone was interested in joining me on this,” said Brooks. “I got a great response. We are a national organization now, with about 100 members.”
The group provides a supportive space for women in the industry and encourages females of all ages to consider the benefits of taking up the HVAC-R trade.
“You will always have job security. Even during COVID, we were considered an essential service,” said Brooks. “We go into a person’s house (to fix or install equipment) and that’s not something a robot will ever be able to do. We also pay really well. We want to keep our people happy and secure.”
Women in HVAC-R Canada does presentations at schools and post-secondary career fairs across the country, and also urges women to consider the trades if they’re looking for a career change.
“Say you went to university and then find yourself sitting at a desk job, and hating it. As a second career, a lot of women come into our trade, and we really want to support that,” said Brooks.
The group is working to establish a scholarship fund to help cover costs for women who pursue HVAC-R.
Earlier this year, the organization also partnered with one of its sponsors, Milwaukee Tools, to distribute five free $500 tool sets to give women a good start in the industry.
Brooks said she loves to take on co-op students from the high schools in Georgetown to give them a real taste of the trade, and hopes that more young ladies will consider this opportunity going forward. Four of her past male co-op students have gone on to work full-time for Brooks Heating and Air.
With the technology behind HVAC-R equipment becoming increasingly high-tech, the industry is taking on more of a STEM focus (science, technology, engineering and math), noted Brooks.
“You need to be a bit more scientific-minded; this is where I think women will be really strong,” she said.
There are a variety of jobs available in the HVAC-R field that have varying levels of educational requirements, ranging from a 10-month program to obtain a gas technician certification to a multi-year process that involves a paid apprenticeship to be a fully-licensed residential air conditioning mechanic.
For further details on ways to get into the industry, available jobs, or to get into touch with Women in HVAC-R Canada, visit www.womeninhvac.ca.
