ORANGE PARK – The plan to add heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to the curriculum at Fortis College was initiated shortly after the trade school moved into its current location at the South Blanding Village shopping center.

After a decade of sweat and planning, Fortis will add HVACR training to its medical programs in November, President Wyman Dickey said.

To make room for its newest venture, the college is currently remodeling the former Superfit Foods store into a working classroom. Already popular at other Fortis campuses, including Pensacola and Port St. Lucie, HVACR is expected to be a boon – especially since Florida has oppressive heat for more than six months.

“Honestly, it’s been on our radar for 10 or 12 years,” Dickey said. “We’ve been looking at the potential of this program coming on board as we saw what we were expecting to be a greater population growth.

“We did a bunch of market research over the last couple years, and a combination of reaching out via the phone, via email, via reaching out to CareerSource Northeast Florida to get their dynamics and to make sure the needs were there.”

With a 9.8% growth rate since 2020 – and with another 14,500 homes already planned, permitted or under construction, Clay County is primed for aspiring HVACR technicians.

“A big part is just the population growth in our area was more substantial than we had anticipated, and it's just created that much more of a need,” Dickey said.

According to Fortis, the projected growth rate for HVACR technicians is greater than 25%.

The 48-week program will provide hands-on experience with real equipment, guided practice from knowledgeable instructors and the technical skills required by employers. Graduates will learn residential and commercial heating systems, refrigeration and air conditioning. They will gain skills in troubleshooting, repairing and maintaining systems. And in their final quarter students can also take the EPA Universal Certification Exam.

“It takes about a year for them to complete it and get out in the field working entry-level,” Dickey said. “It’s very intricate.”

Fortis has burgeoning nursing, practical nursing, medical and dental assisting and surgical technician programs that helped thousands steer into successful careers.

The school is now turning up the thermostat on another trade. After all, as long as Florida is so hot in the summer, there will always be a need for air conditioning and refrigerators – and the people who make them run.