Page 21 - Climate Control News Magazine June 2022

NextGen 2022
LEFT: Ryan Harris is keen to do more commercial air conditioning work.
BELOW: Apprentices admit there is a lot to learn but the subject matter is interesting.
The 18-year-old said he knew very little about refrigeration and air conditioning before com- mencing his apprenticeship.
“I really didn’t know about this job until I saw an advertisement and applied,” Oliver said.
“I am so glad I got the job and everyone is re- ally helpful.”
Second year apprentice technician, Bailey Love, had initially looked into being an electri- cian. “But this is much better than being a stand- ard sparky,” he said.
The 19-year-old is currently employed at NJR Refrigeration in Queensland. Bailey applied for his apprenticeship after seeing a job advertise- ment at NJR.
“I knew I would do a trade and did my Cert II while I was still at school,” he said.
“This is a lot more interesting than other trades I am really enjoying it.”
Bailey has a particular interest in refrigeration.
“We do a lot of transport refrigeration here which is great, we get to go out and get dirty,” he said. “I prefer it to the basic air condition- ing work.”
Woolworths apprentice, Brodie Mackenzie Jones, is moving into the third year of his ap- prenticeship as a technician. The 21 year old did do work experience as a sparky and found out about refrigeration and air conditioning from a neighbour.
Brodie loves his job because he is always learn- ing. “I also work with a good team,” he said.
“Right now I am doing service work but will be moving over to install shortly.”
Brodie said the RAC trade is the best of every- thing. “We do a bit of electrical but we are not putting down cables, we do a bit of gas work and a bit of plumbing, but we are not cleaning toi- lets,” he said.
Asked if he plans to stay in the trade and he doesn’t hesitate: “Definitely 100 per cent!”
Fourth year apprentice, Ryan Marsh, discov- ered refrigeration and air conditioning while at- tending the Australian Industry Trade College in Queensland.
“THE TRADE IS GREAT I HAVEN’T STOPPED LEARNING.”
His original plan was to become an electrician.
“While doing work experience I was at a place that did electrical work but also did refrigeration and air conditioning,” Ryan said.
“I found myself drawn to the refrigeration and air conditioning work and decided to make it my trade,” he said.
The 21 year old said working as a technician means his daily tasks are much more varied. “There is a lot to learn even welding,” he said.
Ryan works at IceCap Refrigeration on the Gold Coast and plans to stay.
“I feel like I am still learning every day. There is still so much more for me to learn,” he said.
QUICK FIX FOR SKILLS CRISIS
CEW CEO, Sam Mostyn.
New economic research released by Chief Executive Women has found that increasing women’s participation in the paid workforce would address Australia’s current skills shortage and have long-lasting impact on productivity in Australia.
The analysis, conducted by Impact Economics and Policy, shows that unlocking women’s workforce participation could fill job vacancies and address critical skills shortages predicted between now and 2026.
The report found that halving the workforce participation gap between men and women would represent an additional 500,000 full-time skilled workers with post school qualifications.
Engaging women in paid work at the same rate as men could unlock an additional one million full-time skilled workers in Australia.
The National Skills Commission estimates the need for 1.2 million additional workers across the economy by 2026.
Chief Executive Women president Sam Mostyn said the report, Addressing Australia’s Critical Skill Shortages: Unlocking Women’s Economic Participation, provides further evidence that it is vital to increase women’s workforce participation for Australia’s economic prosperity.
“Women are Australia’s most untapped resource, and these findings reinforce the need to prioritise reform that supports women to fully participate in our economy,” she said.
“We are facing record job vacancies and growing skills shortages, yet we have a ready workforce, which is highly educated and skilled that is sidelined by powerful barriers to their participation.
“We must focus on policy that will enable women to participate in decent, paid work and to help solve Australia’s skills shortage..”
The report also examines the impact of low wages as a significant barrier for women engaging in paid work.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS
JUNE 2022
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