Page 6 - Climate Control News Magazine June-July 2020

News
Industry applauds state licensing review
LEFT: The Queensland Government will set a Certificate III qualification or equivalent as the minimum for RAC work in that state.
quires RAC competencies to achieve both envi- ronmental and consumer protection outcomes.
“The aim of the review is to ensure RAC work is undertaken by fully qualified RAC technicians in that state,” he said.
Evans said a number of industry associations worked together to achieve this win including the Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors As- sociation (AMCA) and the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (RACCA).
The licensing issues were raised in last month’s edition of CCN (May 2020, P18) by Aus- tralian Refrigeration Mechanics Association (ARMA) CEO, Kim Limburg.
She labelled the previous licensing framework a disaster.
The Queensland Government will set a Certifi- cate III qualification or equivalent as the minimum requirement to undertake refrigeration and air conditioning work in that state, according to the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Condi- tioning and Heating (AIRAH), CEO, Tony Gleeson.
He said Certificate III should be the minimum qualification for HVACR technicians throughout Australia.
“This will help create an Australian HVACR industry that is highly skilled and professional, safe, sustainable and environmentally effective,” Gleeson said.
THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT WILL REVIEW ITS NEW LICENSING REGIME WHICH ALLOWS REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING (RAC) WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN WITHOUT ANY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS.
THE LICENSING REVIEW has been welcomed by industry and has alleviated fears of substand- ard installations, and safety risks to consumers and technicians.
In a letter to the Australian Refrigeration Coun- cil (ARC), the Queensland Government said it will work closely with industry to resolve the licensing issues and ensure workers are adequately skilled to perform the scope of work for their licence.
ARC CEO, Glenn Evans, said it is a good win for industry.
Evans said licensing in other states align with ARC’s refrigerant handling licence which re-
Our need to shine and celebrate has never been greater
IT IS HARD to recall a time in recent history when the need to celebrate HVACR’s most tal- ented technicians has ever been this great.
Speaking at the launch of the 2020 HVACR Leadership Awards last month, CCN publisher, Helen Davies, said in these difficult times the awards program is a timely reminder of the im- portance of the climate control industry.
“Throughout this pandemic HVACR has been critical which is why there is no better time to shine and showcase Australia’s climate control champions,” she said.
“Every year we see such an abundance of tal- ent and despite the current economic climate sponsorship support for this program remains
strong. It is just further proof of the resilience of this industry.”
Once again there are eight categories available for nomination including the Woman of the Year in HVACR Award which is sponsored by Daikin Australia.
The company’s national marketing manager, Dan Tosh, said award programs are a great way to recognise the contributions made by individu- als in the industry.
“Daikin has sponsored the Woman of the Year Award since its inception because we believe it has had a positive impact in recognizing and ad- vancing the careers of women in the HVACR in- dustry,” he said.
Tosh said it is also a reflection of the work Dai- kin has undertaken in the past five years to recruit more women to technical and skilled positions.
“As a result, we have seen women account for nearly 30% of all new employees and have reached a total of 20 female managers,” he said.
Tosh said winners in this category are particu- larly impressive because they are expected to demonstrate leadership while also inspiring oth- er women in the workplace.
“There is a very strong business case for gender diversity in the workplace. It certainly adds to the decision-making process contributing a greater mix of perspectives and ideas,” he said. Turn to page 16 for full coverage of the awards launch.
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