Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician Careers

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician Careers

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Work Environment:

Being a refrigeration and air conditioning technician, you'd fix, repair and service temperature and air quality-control systems. You may install the systems within houses, offices, factories or shops. Generally, your tasks would comprise:

executing maintenance inspections on regular basis
planning the design of instrument panels, pipe work and ducts
formulating estimates for operation, equipment and installation costs

inspecting worksites to ensure that installation schemes are practicable
installing refrigeration and air conditioning systems
arranging supplies, work load and craftspeople
examining and checking systems prior to approving that they're available to use

In most of the circumstances, you'd be member of a group, operating under the administration of an eligible engineer, although you might have some supervisory responsibilities on smaller works.

Qualification, Education and Experience:

You could become a refrigeration and air conditioning technician by beginning as a trainee fitter. To gain entry to a traineeship, you usually require 4 GCSE grades (A to C), with mathematics and technology/science, or similar qualifications.

The availability of traineeships within your sector will rely on the regional employment market and the kind of abilities employers want from employees.

Then again, you can obtain an academy course to train you with some skills which are required for this job. Related courses consist of:

Diploma into Maintenance of Refrigeration-Systems by EAL
Degree into building-services engineering
National Diploma and Certificate into Building Services Engineering by BTEC
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technical-Certificate by City and Guilds

For further information about career and training course providers, visit the websites of ACRIB (Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board), Summit Skills and Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers.

Training Details:

Being an apprentice technician, you'd work to acquire Second and Third levels NVQ in Mechanical-Engineering Services (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning). The NVQ qualification includes choices into:

Industrial and Commercial Air conditioning Systems
Ammonia Refrigeration-Systems
Non Ammonia Industrial and Commercial Air conditioning Systems

If you deal with F gases (Fluorinated gases), you're officially needed to have some qualifications to show that you're capable to perform your work. The City and Guilds: Second level Award into F Gas Regulations is acknowledged as evidence.

By obtaining a BTEC: HND/HNC or degree into Building Services-Engineering (Refrigeration and air conditioning), you can carry on your professional development. For details regarding these coursers, check the website of UCAS.

The IoR (Institution of Refrigeration) provides a scheme of membership at different levels. This membership will approve your admission to various courses and career development workshops. Visit the website of IoR for additional information.

Being an experienced refrigeration and air conditioning technician, you can enroll with the Engineering-Council to get status of Engineering Technology, which can also assist your career growth.

Skills and knowledge:

an understanding of health and safety measures
excellent mathematical abilities for calculating costs and amounts
outstanding problem solving abilities
a readiness to stay updated with European and National legislation regarding refrigerants
the capability to clarify technical issues
excellent communication abilities
the capability to understand technical designs, circuit diagrams and wiring plans

Salary and Other Benefits:

Initial remunerations can range from £13,000 to £18,000 annually.
Earnings of experienced technicians can be around £21,000 to £28,000.
And senior employees having supervisory duties can receive about £36,000 annually.

Working Conditions:

You'd generally work weekly for around 38 to 41 hours. And sometimes you might be required to work overtime to meet up targets.

Working circumstances would differ based on the worksite or building. You might require protecting outfits and equipment for few works.

You'd often operate on an agreement basis, voyaging to different works, which can sometimes include overnight-stays away from house.

Different Opportunities:

You can work with regional authorities, building services, engineering and construction firms, and the NHS.

By experience, you can advance to administrative managerial positions or do specialization into transport refrigeration. By more training, you can be an eligible building services engineer and work into commissioning, energy management and estimating.

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