Page 6 - Climate Control News Magazine March 2019

News
Final phase of RAC training review
An independent review of the VET sector will be completed this month.
and Skills Committee (AISC) for endorsement. Phase 2 of the public consultation process closed on March 1 with the next TAC meeting
scheduled for March 13, 2019.
In addition to the training review, the results of
an independent review into Australia's Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector will be de- livered to the federal government later this month.
The government commissioned the review to look at VET funding and policy to ensure it aligns with the needs of industry and employers.
The Australian Industry (Ai) Group prepared a report of its own into VET which found a seri- ous lack of overall policy direction and govern- ance in the sector.
Ai Group chief executive, Innes Willox, said the sector has suffered from dramatic falls in VET participation which has been accompanied by declining funding levels.
Willox said over the 10 year period from 2005/6 to 2015/16 higher education expenditure grew by an impressive 52.6%.
“But the reverse was the case in the VET sec- tor, which importantly trains so many of our skilled trades, instead expenditure fall by 4.7% over that period,” he said adding that funding now is lower than it was a decade ago.
Willox said a more equitable funding strategy needs to be developed.
"If the Australian economy is to continue to prosper and remain internationally competitive, it is vital to have access to a highly skilled and qualified workforce,” he said.
“With the rapid advance of technology and digitalisation, a higher level of skills for the work- force is more important than ever.”
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S REVIEW OF REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING TRAINING IS ON TRACK TO REACH COMPLETION BY JUNE, 2019.
Ai Group CEO, Innes Willox
THE REVIEW AIMS to address critical skill gaps in the Certificate III in Airconditioning and Refrigeration course.
The Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Tech- nical Advisory Committee (TAC) was tasked with reviewing three qualifications, 52 associat- ed units of competency, and had to develop two new units of competency to provide skills in the area of handling A2 refrigerants.
In its February 2019 edition newsletter, Australi- an Industry Standards said A2 category refriger- ants are flammable and pose significant threat to life and business operations if they are not handled and recovered by suitably qualified technicians.
The finalised units and qualifications have been submitted to the Australian Industry
Peter Gibson joins Pacific HVAC
PACIFIC HVAC ENGINEERING has appoint- ed Peter Gibson to the role of general manager.
Gibson has more than 25 years experience in the HVAC industry in both ventilation and chilled water products.
Pacific HVAC Engineering managing director, Sudevan Nallathamby, said Peter’s leadership, ex- perience and knowledge of the HVAC industry will be beneficial to all areas of the business.
“Peter will be working alongside general manager, Gavin Dunn as well as a team of in- dustry experts such as Frank Verde, Thida Kao, Bharat Tejpal, Michael Fazzalaro, Andrew Twisse and Charles McKenzie, just to name a few,” Nallathamby said.
“The combination of ventilation and major HVAC equipment experience and expertise rein- forces our role as a provider of the best packaged solutions in the industry. We are very excited about the future of the company with Peter on board, driving the vision with Gavin.”
Pacific HVAC Engineering is Australia’s larg- est manufacturer and distributor of specialised HVAC equipment, offering a comprehensive range of ventilation products for any air move- ment application.
Products are built in state of the art facilities in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland under a company-wide and audited quality system to ISO9001.
Pacific HVAC Engineering has been able to recruit a team of industry experts.
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