Carrier Commercial HVAC joined East Sussex College during Green Careers Week 2026 to introduce around 120 local secondary school students to sustainable heating and cooling technologies. On 5 November, the company’s Commercial Director for Data Centres, Oliver Sanders, visited the Eastbourne campus to discuss career routes in heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The event, organised by East Sussex College with East Sussex County Council, brought together Year 9 and 10 pupils to explore energy-efficient buildings, retrofit technologies and technical trades. It offered a timely view of how the sector can connect practical skills with decarbonisation.
Connecting Students With HVAC
The programme gave pupils an introduction to the role heating and cooling systems play in homes, workplaces and other buildings. Sessions in the College’s Immersive Suite and practical plumbing workshops explored solar energy, sustainable heating and heat pumps.
Students were also able to consider how established trades are adapting as buildings become more energy efficient. The activity placed HVAC careers alongside technologies that can help reduce energy use in the built environment, giving attendees a clearer picture of the breadth of work available across the sector.
The event focused on the value of technical knowledge in responding to changing requirements for homes and buildings. For young people considering their next steps, the combination of hands-on activity and industry insight created an accessible introduction to engineering-related careers.
Data Centres And Cooling
Sanders’ presentation examined HVAC’s contribution to comfortable, energy-efficient buildings, while also drawing attention to the specialised cooling requirements of data centres. His experience in that field helped demonstrate how advanced cooling technologies support digital infrastructure used in everyday life.
That connection between building services and digital systems showed students that HVAC offers routes beyond familiar domestic and commercial settings. It also reflected the variety of technical roles available to people entering the industry through engineering and trade pathways.
The presentation positioned heating and cooling as part of the practical work required to support sustainability and decarbonisation. By addressing both existing buildings and data centres, it illustrated the different environments where technical expertise can be applied.
Building Technical Talent
The visit came amid concerns about skills shortages across the UK’s building services sector. Introducing students to opportunities early can help them understand the contribution that engineering and technical trades make to more sustainable buildings.
Apprenticeships were among the routes highlighted through Sanders’ own experience, offering a relevant example for pupils beginning to think about education and employment choices. The industry’s need for people able to work with heating, cooling, retrofit and energy-efficient solutions gives such engagement particular value.
Oliver Sanders, Commercial Director for Data Centres at Carrier, said:
“Young people have an important role to play in shaping a more sustainable future, and it’s vital that we help them understand the opportunities available within our industry. From improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings to developing advanced cooling solutions for data centres, HVAC offers an exciting range of careers where people can develop valuable technical skills and make a meaningful contribution.
“Having entered this market through an apprenticeship route, I’m passionate about raising awareness of the exciting opportunities it offers and helping to shape the talent of tomorrow.”
“It was a pleasure to meet the students at East Sussex College and hopefully inspire some of them to consider a future in our industry.”
A Sustainable Career Conversation
Carrier’s participation gave local pupils the opportunity to see how skills development can support the transition to more sustainable buildings. The event brought employers, educators and students into the same conversation at a stage when young people are starting to explore possible career directions.
For East Sussex College, the programme paired classroom learning with practical demonstrations of retrofit, solar energy, heating and heat pump technologies. For Carrier, it provided a direct way to raise awareness of the expertise needed across the HVAC industry.
By showing how energy efficiency, advanced cooling and technical trades intersect, the event gave students a grounded introduction to a sector with an important role in decarbonisation. Its focus on accessible career pathways made the message particularly relevant for the next generation of engineering talent.
