Recognizing the transition to a low carbon economy and the increased uptake of heat pumps in the residential market, it has become imperative that efforts are made to ensure the residential HVACR workforce is prepared to meet the technical requirements associated with this growing demand.

Small and Medium residential home comfort businesses employ tens of thousands of HVAC technicians. They are critical to enable the shift to non-GHG emitting home heating/cooling solutions.

To better understand the workforce’s knowledge and capabilities, HRAI, in partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Environment Climate Change Canada, launched the Bridging the Skills Gap for Heat Pump Proficiency project in 2024. The project included a Skills Gap Assessment in Ontario, the development of an appropriate curriculum to address the knowledge gaps, and the piloting of training with five colleges. The project successfully concluded in March 2025.

Building on the success of the previous project, NRCan has provided additional funding to continue and expand efforts that will provide a better understanding of our national HVACR workforce and bolster the knowledge and skills that are required to install, service and maintain today’s modern heat pump technology.

With NRCan’s support, HRAI has initiated the HRAI Residential Heat Pump Workforce Readiness Initiative. This project includes:

  • Two additional Skills Gap Assessments, one in the Atlantic Region and one in British Columbia.
  • Revising and enhancing the previously developed curriculum for broader use.
  • Extending the training pilot to involve more Ontario colleges and adding training subsidies to technicians and their employers to facilitate uptake.
Advancing the HVAC workforce through reskilling and upskilling. HRAI will keep the industry informed on the progress of this initiative, the resulting research findings, and any information on when/where training (and related subsidies) will be available.

In Ontario, the residential HVACR workforce is largely comprised of Gas Technician 2 (G2) license holders and Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanics (313D). In the Atlantic Region and British Columbia, this work is being done by a wider variety of technicians with a broader range of pre-existing trade skills. Ontario’s research does not capture these additional skilled trades; as a result, the knowledge and skills gaps will be different. These two additional Gap Assessments will provide specific insights into the regional talent, which will inform the industry, the training community and other stakeholders that have an interest in facilitating training and workforce development.

The heat pump training curriculum previously developed is being updated to address feedback that was garnered from instructors and past participants. The original training pilot was delivered by five colleges working with HRAI. With this pilot, the curriculum will be provided to colleges across Ontario for independent training delivery. To support employers and contractors who want to take the training, funding will be made available via subsidies.

This project is generously funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Skills Gap Assessments & Heat Pump Pilot Training Program. For more information, please contact Stephanie Meyer, Project Manager.