May-1 2026

HVACR Industry Challenge

Explore Real Careers Behind Comfortable, Efficient Buildings

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) keeps homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses running safely and efficiently. It's a growing and AI resistant field, with strong demand across Canada for skilled workers over a wide range of roles. In this challenge, you'll explore a real HVACR company in your community, learn about a specific career in the field, and examine how HVACR technologies are improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Along the way, you'll discover practical, in-demand career pathways you may not have considered.

About HVACR Careers

Watch this video to learn how HVACR careers combine hands-on work, problem-solving, and evolving technology. From skilled trades like gas heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics to system design, sales, and business ownership, HVACR offers a wide range of career paths. Many roles involve apprenticeship training, allowing you to earn while you learn and build in-demand skills that are needed in every community.

Challenge Overview

Active Submission Period

May 1-31, 2026

Eligibility

Grades 7-12 students across Canada

Total Incentives

$10,000 in micro grants

Individual Awards

20 winners × $500 each

Submission Deadline

May 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

Challenge Details

Canada needs more skilled HVACR professionals to support growing construction, maintenance, and energy efficiency needs. For example, it is estimated that the need for air conditioning & refrigeration mechanics will grow by 400% over the next 10 years. In this challenge, you will:

Research a real HVACR company in your community
Explore a specific career role within that company or the industry
Learn how HVACR technologies contribute to energy efficiency and building performance
Understand future career opportunities and demand in the field

Focus on clear, accurate information from trusted sources. Avoid copying general definitions—show what you've learned in your own words.

Find and feature at least one HVACR company in your community. Your research should cover: • What does the company do? (installation, service, maintenance, design, manufacturing, etc.) • What types of systems do they work with? (heating, cooling, heat pumps, refrigeration, residential, commercial, industrial) • How long have they been operating in your area? • What kinds of roles do they hire for? Where to look: • Search online for HVACR, heating, cooling, or refrigeration companies in your city or town • Ask family, friends, or neighbours if they know a local company • Use the HRAI resources below to find companies and learn more about the industry Goal: Show that HVACR is a local industry with real businesses and job opportunities in communities across Canada, including your own.

Choose one HVACR role and explore what it's really like. Your career spotlight should include: • Day-to-day work — What does a typical day look like in this role? • Skills required — What technical and interpersonal skills are important? • Training & education — What pathway is required (apprenticeship, college, certifications)? • Earning potential — What can someone expect to earn as they gain experience? Bonus: If you can speak with someone in the industry, even briefly, include what you learned. First-hand insight makes your project stronger. Example roles to explore: Residential or commercial HVACR install/service technician, sheet metal worker, estimator, service manager, systems designer, or sales specialist.

Explain one HVACR technology and why it matters. Choose a technology such as: • Heat pumps • Smart or automated HVAC systems • Refrigeration systems and modern refrigerants • Ventilation systems for indoor air quality Then explain: • How the technology works (in simple terms) • How it improves comfort, efficiency, or building performance • How it connects to energy use or environmental goals Big picture: How does the transition to heat pumps in HVACR make buildings more efficient? Why does this transition increase the need for skilled workers?

Explore job demand and career opportunities in HVACR. Use resources like Job Bank and HRAI to find out: • Is there demand for HVACR workers in your region? • What types of jobs are available locally or provincially? • What's driving demand? (new construction, maintenance needs, retiring workers, energy upgrades) Goal: Show that HVACR offers real, in-demand career opportunities now and in the future.

Record a 90–120 second video covering Steps 1–4. Your video should include: • The HVACR company you researched • The career role you explored • One technology and its impact • Future demand for HVACR careers Format options: • Talking head, documentary, animation, or voice-over • Vertical or horizontal • Use photos, diagrams, or examples where helpful • You do not need to appear on camera Video length: 90–120 seconds Before submitting, check: ✓ Did you feature a real local company? ✓ Did you clearly explain a specific career? ✓ Did you describe a technology and its impact? ✓ Did you show future demand for the role? ✓ Is your video within the time limit? Make sure your video link is accessible. Test it in an incognito browser before submitting.

Evaluation Rubric Summary

Total: 100 points

Content & Accuracy

25%

Comprehensive coverage of all required elements with accurate, detailed information

Local Connection & Career Research

25%

Real local company featured and specific career role explored with depth and detail

Engagement & Creativity

25%

Compelling delivery that maintains viewer interest through creative presentation

Communication & Clarity

25%

Clear audio/visuals with logical organization, smooth flow, and meets 90-120 second requirement

View Detailed Evaluation Rubric Here

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions about this activity

Carefully read the Activity Details steps 1-5 to understand what is being asked of you in this activity. You can also watch the How this Works video for a detailed overview.

You're being asked to submit a 90-120 second video highlighting the research you did from steps 1 through 4. Your video should cover: a local HVACR company, a specific career spotlight, an HVACR technology and its environmental impact, and the future demand for HVACR professionals. Make sure your video link has proper sharing settings — test it in an incognito browser window before submitting.

Yes, you can complete the activity multiple times exploring different HVACR companies or careers, though students can only win one micro grant per activity. We'd encourage you to focus on quality, not quantity.

No, it's whatever feels authentic and engaging to you. It can be a TikTok style video with lots of different cuts and background music or more documentary style — whatever you will enjoy making more, and clearly communicates the requested information from steps 1-4.

Nope, it doesn't matter at all what tool you use. There are lots of free tools available to make videos today. Check with your school to see what they already have access to. For example, Canva is a great tool to be able to create videos with.

Lots of skills like research, critical thinking, communication, content creation, and career exploration. You'll also learn about trades career pathways, environmental technology, and labour market trends. It would be a good idea to add the completed video to your myBlueprint portfolio and reflect on what skills you feel like you've developed.

Submissions will be reviewed by a team of representatives from myBlueprint. We may, if needed, collaborate with representatives from HRAI.

Yes, videos will be accepted in either English or French.

Depending on the volume of submissions, we plan to have selected and be able to announce winners by the midpoint of the following month. So for example, with this activity, we hope to be able to announce the May winners by mid-June.

Yeah, that's a great idea, along with a reflection of what you learned from doing this activity and what you found interesting. As a heads up, we'll also be asking students to submit evidence of their completed activities through a myBlueprint portfolio if you plan on applying for one of the Series Completion incentives at the end of the year.

You can absolutely complete this activity on your own. That being said, you should absolutely communicate with your teachers (and parents) that you're doing this and see if you can potentially earn credit for the work that you're doing for this activity.

The HVACR Industry Challenge has been designed as an individual activity.

Yes, you can still submit monthly activities after the deadline. However, any activity submitted after the deadline is not eligible for that month's pool of micro grants. It still makes sense to complete them even after the deadline so that you can potentially earn one of the Series Completion incentives. Those only require all activities to be completed, not necessarily completed within the month of the activity.

Teachers won't be able to see through myBlueprint which students have submitted activities or not. However, we will create reports that will be shared with your myBlueprint lead at the school board level who can share specifics with you upon request.

myBlueprint is solely responsible for running the Industry Immersion Series. Meaning that only myBlueprint is collecting any information related to this Series. No personally identifiable information is being shared with any third parties. We will publish de-identified (anonymous summary data) information to provide updates on how the series is going. For example, the number of activity submissions received for each month, which province they're coming from, and communicate with our school board partners about school-specific participation. Click here to see the questions students are being asked to answer when they submit their completed activity.