Phoenix manufacturer supercharges West-MEC internship programming.
Phoenix-based Air2O has launched an internship program with Western Maricopa Education Center to spur interest in manufacturing jobs, coinciding with the company’s recent growth and planned expansion.
Air2O, which develops thermal management products for “mission-critical facilities,” launched the 90-day internship program in the spring. The program builds upon skills students learn in West-MEC courses, said Tom Sullivan, Air2O’s chief operating officer.
“We’re taking all of that knowledge that they’ve got as part of the West-MEC program and we’re supercharging it over 90 days at an industry level,” Sullivan said. “At the end of 90 days, they have a formal interview, get a performance report and at that point, they can be offered a full-time contract with salary, benefits and all the bells and whistles.”
Air2O’s internship program was sparked by the company’s relationship with the Arizona Commerce Authority and a U.S. Department of Commerce initiative to connect manufacturing companies with Valley high schools.
Air2O interns gain on-the-job training in manufacturing roles at the company’s north Phoenix facility.
That led to an introduction to West-MEC, where Air2O’s leadership team made company presentations to HVAC and electrical students at the Phoenix-based career and technical school to highlight manufacturing careers.
“You could go work for an HVAC service company. But instead of servicing a refrigeration unit in a residential neighborhood, you could be in our facility, building these gigantic units that cost a billion dollars,” Sullivan said. “We really opened their eyes to a completely new career path that none of them had ever considered before because it’s not mainstream.”
Air2O focuses on hybrid, on-the-job training
Air2O is partnering with West-MEC to develop curriculum for specific industry-related classes. Air2O offers two high school programs, consisting of hybrid classroom and on-the-job training. In addition to the high school program, Air2O offers an internship via West-MEC’s adult education program, which consists of classroom and paid, on-the-job training at the company’s north Phoenix facility, Sullivan said.
Air2O’s internship program comes on the heels of the company’s recent milestone in which it surpassed $50 million in product orders. What’s more, Air2O plans to double its footprint within the next 12 to 18 months to keep up with demand for its HVAC systems.
Air2O, which also has offices in Europe and Southeast Asia, has been involved in large commercial projects worldwide, including data centers, and agricultural, semiconductor and battery facilities. The company operates a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 425 E. Pinnacle Peak Road.
Air2O’s cooling systems are used in hangars for Southwest Airlines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and at Universal Studios Singapore in areas where people queue for amusement rides, the Business Journal previously reported.
Air2O aims to expand its internship program to other Arizona trade schools in the future, Sullivan said.
“We are actively reaching out to all trade schools and taking what we’ve learned with this pilot program and pushing it further afield,” he said. “We’ve had great results from students and West-MEC, so some more trade schools is a primary focus of ours over the next 12 months.”