$409,225 grant will buy new HVAC equipment and overhaul program

Whittier received a $409,225 Skills Capital Grant to expand its Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration program.

Skills Capital Grants, which are administered through Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito’s office, are designed to help high schools, colleges and other educational institutions invest in the most up-to-date training equipment to give their students an advantage when they continue in their chosen field or particular area of study. The awards cover a broad range of fields, from construction and engineering to healthcare and hospitality.

Whittier's grant funding will be used to build a state-of-the-art lab with the latest HVAC and Refrigeration equipment used to work on residential, commercial and light commercial structures. Students will gain experience with gas and oil burner technologies, rooftop heating and cooling units, ice machines, refrigeration and freezer units, ductless high-efficiency heat pumps and air conditioning systems.

“This Skills Capital Grant will give students the opportunity to work on the latest energy efficient HVAC equipment," HVAC Instructor Rich Gonsalves said. "With the addition of new equipment, we will be able to educate our students on the newest technology to increase the number of qualified technicians in our region."

Students will have opportunities to work both inside the classroom, in new student laboratories/workstations, and outside the building on real equipment used in the industry.

Construction on the new lab is set to begin in October, and is estimated to be completed by the end of the school year.