Education, information, and merit performance are the cornerstones essential to the continued vitality of the sheet metal and air conditioning contracting industry

Leading sheet metal contractors, in partnership with SMACNA, have established the New Horizons Foundation -- A Sheet Metal Industry Initiative. Its program agenda will be essential to the survival and prosperity of major contracting firms as well as smaller, independent, local companies. Its mandate is three-fold:

• To encourage career participation in the sheet metal industry by those most likely to excel at such work. To improve and develop the capabilities of the current and future workforce through leading edge educational programs.



• To develop key relationships with academic institutions and allied industry partners in order to identify, monitor, and analyze major workforce-related trends affecting the sheet metal and air conditioning industry.



• To position sheet metal contractors as positive, knowledgeable, key participants in the construction process. To give the sheet metal industry the ability to better shape public perception and understanding of this specialty and its contribution to the public it serves.

Skills shortage is very real and getting more critical all the time. To ensure a stable and dynamic industry, the leaders of the New Horizons Foundation will take an aggressive, visionary approach to developing a cutting-edge education and information agenda.

From top senior company managers to the craftsman in the field, this industry needs an authoritative, unifying force to convey the well-developed message (along with the education and workforce to back it up) that the sheet metal and HVAC industry has a bright and dynamic future. The industry is interested in creating a state-of-the-art work environment populated with effective managers, supervisors, and workers with required skills.

In addition, supplier partners, architects, engineers, general contractors, developers, government authorities and the general public all have a vested interest in improving their knowledge base about the best uses of sheet metal applications and HVAC systems in every arena -- industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential. The Foundation will provide a knowledge link among industry members, suppliers, contracting industry partners, colleges and universities, other national and international trade associations, and customers.

Clearly, every company has a different definition of employee training and education. From senior company managers to hourly-wage workers, the need for clear direction, standards, and education -- combining well-researched best practices with fundamental skills -- can no longer be accomplished in a fragmented manner. The New Horizons Foundation will commission and make available education and training that will enhance the skills and talents to manage the current workforce and attract new professionals.