Lake Erie College

Painesville, O.H., March 8, 2019 – Lake Erie College (LEC) has joined forces with Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort solutions and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, to provide students the opportunity to enroll in an eleven month HVAC training program working inside a brand new, state-of-the-art NC3 lab.

The program was originally created last year as a beginner’s guide to commercial heating and cooling controls and relied on existing equipment already serving campus buildings. During the program’s successful first year, students were able to help identify and fix issues and equipment on Lake Erie’s campus. The course’s upcoming session will be the first one offered in the new Trane Lab, allowing students the unique experience of working with real-world equipment while strengthening their highly sought-after skill sets.

LEC’s President Brian Posler shared, “Although it may be a bit unusual for a liberal arts college to host a technical certification course,” this is a wonderful opportunity to complement LEC's academic offerings with a much needed skilled trade program, further connecting us with the communities we serve.”

“There is a significant demand for skilled individuals in the HVAC trade, both in Northeast Ohio as well as across the United States,” said Michael Bryan, general manager, Trane Northeast Ohio. “This partnership became an immediate match as the vision of our three organizations are all aligned in driving innovation in our industry, while endeavoring to be good corporate citizens by giving back to the communities that support our business.”  

Trane’s sponsorship and involvement with NC3 provides an opportunity to build and maintain strategic relationships with top leaders at community technical colleges that participate as members of NC3. NC3 is a 501c3 non-profit organization, established to address the need for collaborative industry partnerships with educational institutions in order to develop, implement and sustain industry-recognized portable certifications with strong validation and assessment standards. 

Students participating in Lake Erie College’s HVACR program will study four different modules including electrical theory, heating theory, air conditioning and refrigeration, and steam and hot water boilers. They will receive 30-hour OSHA and NC3 certifications upon course completion.

“The opportunity to partner with a company as well respected as Trane was a major win for us as a school. The doors it can open for students and their education are endless. We are proud to team with Trane in bringing trades back to the forefront and recognizing the need for skilled tradespeople in the workforce,” said Herb Dill, program director, Lake Erie College.

The next session will be launched early this summer in the new Trane Lab. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be hosted at Lake Erie College, Garfield Center located at 391 West Washington Street, Painesville, on April 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To learn more, contact Herb Dill at hdill@lec.edu or call 855.GO.STORM. 

About Ingersoll Rand

Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR) is a world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments in commercial, residential and industrial markets. Our people and our family of brands — including Club Car®, Ingersoll Rand®, Thermo King® and Trane® — work together to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and increase industrial productivity and efficiency. Trane solutions optimize indoor environments with a broad portfolio of energy efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, building and contracting services, parts support and advanced control. Ingersoll Rand is global business committed to sustainable business practices within our company and for our customers. For more information, visit www.ingersollrand.com or www.trane.com.

Lake Erie College, founded in 1856, provides an excellent, inclusive, and highly personalized education grounded in the liberal arts tradition. Guided by hope and care, our students are empowered to lead lives of personal significance and professional success as global citizens. We offer 35 undergraduate majors and master’s programs in business administration, education and physician assistant studies. Our students compete in 17 NCAA Division II varsity sports and on three intercollegiate equestrian teams. To learn more, visit www.lec.edu