Page 17 - Climate Control News magazine February 2022

NextGen 2022
Sponsor’s Message
THE AUSTRALIAN REFRIGERATION
Council is proud to support CCN and Next Gen as important platforms to showcase emerging talent. Importantly it raises the profile of the sector and promotes it as a pro- fession of first choice.
For young people thinking about different career options, this industry offers it all – va- riety on the job, the challenge of working with the latest technology, long term job security and great pay.
And, don’t forget, the important work done by men and women working in the sector can- not be overstated.
Consider how our day-to-day life just wouldn’t be possible without refrigeration
securing vaccines and medical supplies or transporting food to our supermarkets?
Our world would be a very different place without an efficient, reliable Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) sector.
To secure the future of the HVACR industry andcontinuetoattractthebrightestnewpeople, we need to nurture and reward young talent, of- fering them real world opportunities during their training and early years on the job to en- courage a love for the work and a clear under- standing of the important role they play.
We’re united in our goal to grow this industry and by recruiting the best and the brightest we can create a professional sector that is respected and recognised by the community.
This is a role that is always changing and evolving.
There’s no doubt new technology is having a massive impact on the everyday tasks undertak- en by technicians. While it may be adding com- plexity to the role it’s also making it much more
RIGHT: ARC CEO, Glenn Evans
interesting and re- warding.
We’re an industry
that’scommittedto
protecting the envi-
ronment and, ultimately, improved technology means a cleaner, more efficient workplace and greater recognition of the important contribu- tion made by the RAC sector.
The technical nature and environmental im- pact of the industry are great attractions for modern students. The industry makes a real and positive difference.
The bottom line is, RAC technicians have a huge contribution to make to Australia’s future. Without them, we can’t build new cities, hos- pitals or transport food. There are very few as- pects of our everyday life that aren’t touched by
this vital industry.
UN building in Geneva.
Gender equality by 2030
Medal winning skills
NEXTGEN APPRENTICES DOMINATED the national WorldSkills refrigeration competition for 2021.
The results are further proof that NextGen apprentices are making an impact.
The gold medal winner at WorldSkills was Cam Harrison from Brisbane, Queensland.
WorldSkills silver medalist, Ryan Harris, made the NextGen Top 20 in the year 2020.
Harris is a 22-year-old technician based in Canberra.
He has completed his apprenticeship and with his new skill set is keen to take on more challenging roles.
He loves the trade because there is so much variety.
The bronze medal at WorldSkills went to another Next- Gen Top 20 winner from 2020, Tom Clancy of Perth, West- ern Australia.
Finally, the WorldSkills certificate of excellence went to yet another NextGen winner, Jared Tesch of North Queensland.
Tesch has now completed his apprenticeship and is keen to con- tinue his education in refrigeration engineering. ✺
FAR LEFT: Cam Harrison
LEFT: NextGen winner and Silver medalist, Ryan Harris
RESULTS FROM THE first global survey ever undertaken of women working in HVACR will be released later this year.
Historically, women have been under- represented in this sector, despite the great potential that could be unleashed if more women chose to pursue educa- tion and job opportunities in cooling and heating.
Since there are data gaps about wom- en working in this field, the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) and the United Nation’s Education Program, OzonAction, have partnered with indus-
try groups around the world to complete the survey.
The survey seeks to better understand the background, motivation, challenges, and opportunities faced by women working in HVACR.
The results will be used to inform decision-makers inside and outside of the sector about ways to further en- hance women's contribution to the field, in line with the UN sustainable development goal to achieve gender equality by 2030.
The organisers will begin collating the responses this month.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS
FEBRUARY 2022
17