Not many youngsters in school today, thinking about their futures and planning their career, have the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration industry on their radar screens.

Many, fascinated by computer games and the Internet, don't know that the HVACR industry has terrific opportunities in the areas in which they're most interested. From technicians in the field to equipment designers in the industry's manufacturing plants, to owner engineers, consulting engineers and contractors, cutting-edge technology is being used to make a host of essential building products and systems work better and more efficiently.

Typically, neither students nor their parents realize bow vital the HVACR industry is in maintaining their standard of living while helping feed the world's growing population, preserving food from the farm to their home refrigerators. Displaced workers also aren't generally aware of the fast-growing number of work opportunities this industry offers now and in the future.

As we enter the new millennium, the biggest challenges this critical industry faces are not technological. The industry has met, and continues to address successfully, major hurdles such as the ban on fluorocarbon-based refrigerants, the demand for better indoor air quality and the ongoing battle for increased energy efficiency.

The biggest challenge is finding enough skilled and qualified workers to provide the quality products, systems and services our customers will demand. The good news is, as you will read in the following special report, that the ARI Industry Recruitment Task Force, working together with a coalition of industry associations, is taking up the challenge. It's a big job - and everyone has to do it.