Industry News

Watts has announced their first monthly drawing in the year-long “Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow” 150th Anniversary celebration: The Ultimate Beer Essentials Bundle Sweepstakes. From now through May 31, 2024, plumbing professionals engaging in Watts’ educational programs have the chance to win by earning tickets through their Learn & Earn initiative. Five winners will be selected in early June, providing just another earning opportunity for loyal customers to win.

The ultimate beer essentials bundle contains a(n):

• Growler tap with 64oz glass growler
• Beer caddie cooler with tote and bottle opener
• 12 oz Borosilicate™ Bira Glass
• Elan deluxe corkscrew in bamboo box

Watts invites all eligible industry professionals to join them in this special occasion and take advantage of the chance to win the Ultimate Beer Essentials Bundle.  Every ticket is an opportunity to win.

This sweepstakes is just one part of Watts’ year-long anniversary celebration. In addition to this Ultimate Beer Essentials Bundle, Watts is honoring customers with chances to win prizes in monthly, quarterly, and the grand prize drawing: a trip for two to Boston, MA.

Eligibility to participate is exclusive to industry professionals who leverage Watts’ extensive educational offerings. This includes eLearning through Watts Works Online (training.watts.com), attending Lunch & Learn sessions, and in-person training at Watts Learning Centers across North America. For a detailed rundown of how to earn tickets and make entries visit Watts’ official sweepstakes page at watts.com/150sweepstakes.

12 Schools to Receive Support to Create and Update Plumbing & HVAC Labs

The “Explore The Trades Skills Lab, Built by Ferguson” equipment grants were announced on May 1, 2024, in celebration of National Skilled Trades Day.

Twelve schools are the newest recipients of the Skills Lab equipment grants, which are projected to reach over 1,000 students this upcoming school year. This dynamic program has experienced rapid growth since it began in 2021 and has now delivered plumbing and HVAC equipment to 26 schools and over 2,000 students nationwide.

“The national conversation around the importance of the skilled trades and technical education has reached a fever pitch this year,” noted Kate Cinnamo, Executive Director of Explore The Trades. “Trade education programs in communities around the nation are bringing the next generation to these industries. Our partnership with Ferguson has given school districts the opportunity to build skilled trades labs that enable their students to thrive. It’s so encouraging to see students discover the trades, develop a passion for them and know that those skill sets will benefit them in careers after high school graduation.”

“We are proud to partner with Explore The Trades and thrilled to see our shared vision of building a sustainable skilled trades pipeline come to life,” commented Melissa Hazelwood, Director of Social Impact at Ferguson. “With the recent surge of interest in trades careers and the substantial investments in our country’s infrastructure, the need for skilled tradespeople has never bee more apparent. Through our concerted efforts, we are not just providing students with tools; we are laying the foundation for lifelong careers. Our partnership has already impacted thousands of students, and we are excited to continue this journey. We are committed to investing in the next generation.”

Congratulations to the following recipients!

• Appomattox County High School – HVAC (Virginia)
• Bemidji High School – HVAC (Minnesota)
• Callaway High School – HVAC (Georgia)
• Gateway Regional – HVAC (New Jersey)
• Ivy Academy – HVAC (Tennessee)
• Lebanon County Career and Technology Center – Plumbing (Pennsylvania)
• Mayfair Elementary and Middle School – Plumbing (Pennsylvania)
• Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center – HVAC (Missouri)
• Raymore-Peculiar Public School Foundation – HVAC (Missouri)
• Saginaw Career Complex – HVAC (Michigan)
• Thomas J. Corcoran High School – HVAC (New York)
• Woodruff Career and Technical Center – HVAC (Illinois)

About Explore The Trades
Founded in 2005, Explore The Trades is committed to bridging the technical talent gap to the service trades of plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical. The organization is focused on bringing the skilled trades conversation back into the classroom by providing classroom materials and on-demand resources for educators, parents, and students.

Empowering Organizations to Simplify, Scale and Succeed, Interplay Enterprise, an all-in-one career development platform, marks the next chapter in immersive training and talent development

Interplay Learning, the leading provider of immersive skilled trades training, announced today the launch of Interplay Enterprise. Shaped by customer insights, this immersive career development platform introduces exciting new features designed to help enterprises elevate the skills of their entire workforce, streamline operations, and improve retention.

Interplay Enterprise simplifies career development by providing an all-in-one platform for company-wide learning. It includes nearly 500 hours of on-demand skilled trades courses, industry certification prep courses, learning paths, and 3D/VR simulations crafted by industry experts. A new content manager tool makes it easy for trainers and administrators to include additional courses about topics like leadership, management, compliance, ethics, and more by uploading SCORM-compliant course packages, videos, and documents. They can also use the content manager to build content, quizzes, and custom learning paths tailored to the diverse training needs of their workforce, while also managing and tracking in-person classroom training–all in one place.

Comprehensive management tools give enterprises the ability to scale and facilitate training across multiple locations and job roles. Administrators can streamline onboarding and user management with 60+ pre-built HR systems integrations and automated assignments for courses, paths, and due dates. Interplay also provides a suite of measurement, reporting, and AI-based recommendation tools, including skills assessments and insights dashboards. These empower leaders to add value with actionable insights to optimize training performance and help learners build the safety and accuracy skills they need to get to the next level.

“The latest evolution of our industry-leading solution allows organizations to simplify career development, scale their training, and succeed in building a strong, skilled workforce,” said Doug Donovan, CEO and founder of Interplay Learning. “With Interplay Enterprise, companies can provide safe, effective online training for all employees in one centralized learning space. They are not only able to apply Interplay’s proven trades training content, but they can also manage, track, upload, and create their own training — all within our career development platform. Our Enterprise customers can also count on our partnership through every step of their employees’ journey within our platform.”

“Interplay’s all-in-one platform allows us to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and provide scaffolded support to meet techs where they are to help them succeed,” said Andrew Hasty, director of learning and development, Peterman Brothers Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. “We’re strategically aligning Interplay’s platform to our paths of progression and career development initiatives. Our goal is to identify learning gaps and provide targeted interventions that support each technician’s unique journey.”

Interplay’s career development platform also offers:

• Immersive learning experiences: Learners experience VR and simulation-based training in a safe, immersive environment, enhancing knowledge retention, engagement, and skill-building.
• Ready-made, enterprise-grade solutions: A scalable cloud-based platform provides secure access anytime, anywhere, with user-friendly functionality.
• Reporting API: Powerful data from Interplay’s career development platform can be integrated into other software systems for additional analysis and reporting.
• Customizable platform: Deliver the platform with your own brand logos and colors, and customize learning paths to include your company’s values, employer strategy, and ways of working.
• Convenience and compatibility: Interplay Enterprise delivers flexibility and mobile compatibility to maximize accessibility for on-the-go workers.
• World-class enterprise service and support: Interplay Learning is a strategic partner for career development consulting, implementation, insights, and U.S.-based support.

The Interplay Enterprise career development platform is now generally available–some of the mentioned new features and capabilities will be released in the Summer and Fall of 2024. For more information about Interplay Enterprise, visit www.interplaylearning.com/enterprise.

Residents of the U.S. and Canada can nominate individuals for heating or cooling equipment and installation, free of charge, through the Feel The Love Program, sponsored by the LII Lennox Foundation

Celebrating 15 years of giving back to deserving homeowners, the annual Lennox Feel The Love program continues its partnership with residential dealers across the U.S. and Canada to donate and install heating and cooling (HVAC) units for community heroes. Nominations are open until August 31, and deserving individuals can be nominated on FeelTheLove.com. The program is sponsored this year by the LII Lennox Foundation.

Nominees have included educators, veterans, first responders, healthcare professionals, families facing financial challenges, elderly residents in outdated homes and individuals impacted by natural disasters.

“The Feel The Love program provides participating Lennox dealers and local community members an opportunity to come together to support those in need of heating and cooling equipment,” said Gary Bedard, EVP & President, Lennox Home Comfort Solutions. “The impact of this program and the number of lives changed is truly inspiring, and we look forward to ensuring even more of our communities Feel The Love this year.”

Established in 2023 by Lennox, the LII Lennox Foundation further expands the company’s charitable actions through impactful programs like Feel the Love, strong partnerships with organizations such as Operation Warm, and an emphasis on employee volunteerism. Through these initiatives, the LII Lennox Foundation is committed to improving the communities where Lennox employees work and live.

The Feel The Love program is supported by the collaborative efforts of the LII Lennox Foundation and the generous network of Lennox dealers across North America. Since its launch in 2009, Feel The Love has installed over 2,300 heating and cooling systems for homeowners in need and over $12.6 million in donated materials.

“I can’t thank you guys enough… I can breathe, I’m relieved, I don’t have to worry,” said Danielle Staffeldt, wife and mother of six children and former recipient of the Lennox Feel The Love program through new HVAC equipment in the home. “It’s such a powerful thing to be able to give to people and know that people care about complete strangers. It just means so much. I’m so grateful.”

During Feel The Love Installation Week, October 5-12, 2024, selected recipients will receive brand-new heating or cooling equipment. For updates on the 2024 Feel The Love program, follow  @LennoxFeelTheLove on Facebook.