Page 17 - Climate Control News August 2021

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Presenting the talent
IN THE FOLLOWING pages, CCN in partner- ship with the Australian Refrigeration Council presents this year’s Top 20 apprentices under 25 years of age.
Second year apprentice Nathan Aiken fin- ished high school and went straight into an ap- prenticeship.
The 20-year-old says working at Trent Refrig- eration has allowed him to learn from the best.
“Every day is challenging which makes me a better refrigeration mechanic,” Nathan says.
“My goal is to be an awesome fridgie and one day have my own business.”
“I LOVE TROUBLESHOOTING AND BEING SO HANDS ON.”
Fourth year apprentice, Nicholas Baldi, says he actually enjoys the theoretical side of the trade. “I like the theory behind refrigeration and learning how everything works,” Nicholas says.
The 22-year-old said he called a lot of refrigera- tion companies trying to get an apprenticeship before landing a job at Trent Refrigeration. “They asked to see my resume and soon after I began my apprenticeship,” Nicholas says.
In the future Nicholas wants to improve his skills and says he prefers the refrigeration side of the trade.
Fridgcon apprentice Jayden Beasley is based in Bathurst in western New South Wales. The 21-year-old was working in a timber mill when
he discovered refrigeration and air conditioning. “I knew I wanted a trade but had to decide which one I liked best,” Jayden says.
The first year apprentice is confident he made the right choice. “This trade is amazing because it is a combination of different trades such as plumbing, electrotechnology. It means that eve- ry day is different.”
First year apprentice, Dean Bognado, always knew he would become a tradie, he just didn’t ex- pect to end up in refrigeration and air condition- ing. “My older brother is a plumber so I knew I didn’t want to do that,” he says.
The 20 year old did casual construction work for a couple of years before committing to an ap-
prenticeship at DM Cooling, west of Brisbane. “It is the best decision I have ever made. I am not stuck in the same place and the work I do is inter- esting, I am learning a lot,” Dean says.
West Australian apprentice, Jarred Budny, is in his final year of his trade at AJ Baker & Sons Pty Ltd. The 21 year old has always had his sights set on a RAC trade because it combined mechan- ical and electrical skills. While undertaking work experience at AJ Baker & Sons he made such a big impression with his positive attitude and willingness to learn that he was offered an apprenticeship.
Jarred likes the daily challenges that come with the trade, it provides a real sense of accom- plishment.
“Whether it is routine maintenance, a simple service job or a large installation over a number of weeks I love troubleshooting and being so hands on,” he says.
“Ultimately I want to focus on commercial re- frigeration projects mainly supermarkets.”
Jarred has won apprentice of the year for the last two years and was runner up in WA World- Skills in 2019.
LEFT: It’s hard to find a trade as varied as refrigeration and air conditioning.
ABOVE: From compressor rebuilds to big industrial systems, it can be complex work.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS AUGUST 2021
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