The federal government’s Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIIESTE) is funding a Natural Refrigerants Training Project to develop Australia’s training capacity and upskill technicians.
The project, which is being managed by EE-Oz Training Standards, will help students develop skills in the safe handling of natural products.
Natural refrigerants are now being imported, manufactured and installed in Australia, and despite being significantly better for the environment, some are highly flammable, others are toxic or operate at extreme pressure.
Hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and ammonia exist naturally in the biosphere and are being used instead of synthetic refrigerants such as Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which have high global warming potential.
By contrast natural refrigerants have a negligible climate impact and are now being implemented as a heat transfer medium for refrigerator and air conditioning systems.
With the introduction of carbon pricing schemes, particularly the Refrigerant Levy and the Clean Energy Future schemes, it is expected that natural refrigerant systems will increasingly become the standard in Australia.
Ian Paul, head teacher of the refrigeration section at the Western Sydney Institute (WSI) of TAFE said introducing natural refrigerants will significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being produced.
“Synthetic refrigerants are responsible for 17 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases, so replacing them with natural refrigerants is one very significant way that we can take better care of the environment,” Paul said.
“WSI has been a leader in training for natural refrigerants, and there is now an urgent need to roll this training out across Australia.
“We have a number of natural refrigerant training programs coming up which the government has subsidised to ensure that these skills are being spread across the country.”
Paul said 12 State Champions have just completed training and will be responsible for delivering the course in their state or territory.
“These State Champions will go back to their registered training organisations and head up programs which will get the training happening at a local level,” he said.
“In addition we will have eight programs for refrigeration trainers and industry representatives, covering the two skills sets of Service and Repair - Hydrocarbon Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems and Service and Repair - Carbon Dioxide Refrigeration Systems.
“Both skills sets include safety training and training for service and repair of these two types of refrigeration systems.”
All training will be held at the Western Sydney GreenSkills Hub, a purpose built facility which houses cutting-edge technology for refrigeration testing and training.
For more information, contact Suzi Kuti on (02) 9208 9312 or Suzanne.kuti@tafensw.edu.au .
WSI embeds sustainability principles in all of its training and provides qualifications ranging from Statements of Attainment through to Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Degree programs. For more information go to wsi.tafensw.edu.au
Participants in the training program
