Cold Link Africa September 2022 | Page 25

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
The ammonia graduates and OTTC team celebrate the culmination of hard work and effort in passing the course .
The group of ammonia diploma graduates and attendees of the safe handling of refrigerants course .
Everyone here today has their own careers - be that in freons or ammonia , a technician , mechanical engineer , an electrician or plant manager that we have built from a foundation . You are interested in a system and that is why you are here . You walked through the gates of this centre because there is something you needed to learn . If you are at a level to be mature enough , it will open your mind to think that this facility , as Isolde was describing , was built by her husband and a helper from the first brick onwards . Being ‘ youngsters ’ we generally think we cant also do something like that . But , in reality every individual human being has their own time that we are in charge of to make the best of it . This graduation is part of your journey and an opportunity to make a change for yourself . Today people always need a ‘ plan B ’ and what you have learned here is the starting point . For the safe handling learners the only reason why you came here to learn is that you ' re able to work with refrigerant gases . But how can you work on something that you don ' t know ? You work in an environment where you know that you have a plant room . You may be an electrician , engineer or manager but do you know anything about your ammonia plant and system ? All you may know is that a contractor looks after it and that downtime must be limited . So you found learning more about plants interesting - expecially for the safe handling team and our diploma graduates think they know it all now . You do know your theory , but what you know does not actually matter - it ' s what you do with what you know now that matters . Create your own change .”
Sibiya continued to discuss the objective of the training centre being bringing all of the different elements of a plant together , how gas / refrigererants function in the system , the function of refrigeration ( not making cold but removing heat ), and system components . She also highlighted the importance of tasks that often get
overlooked by roleplayers such as metal basics , welding and design – all of which are courses that can be taken up additionally by students . Further it was stated that in Sibiya ’ s view , ammonia is the easiest gas you can work with . There ' s only one thing that it demands – respect . If you don ' t respect it , it will surely show you who is boss .
Sibiya continued saying , “ The best thing that you as graduates can do is to not waste your time because you will never get it back . What you learn as you go on in your daily life , appreciate things and make the best version of you . Plan B must always be on your mind . It costs nothing that you know refrigeration and use it to better yourself wherever you can – this may be fixing an air conditioning unit or fridges on your weekends rather than going out to party all the time . Its these small things that we promote in this school as part of our caring and nurturing that enable you to create your own differences . Be careful though of “ pushing your paper ” – meaning thinking you know it all because you passed your course and have a certificate . You need to continue learning , ask questions at every instance that you don ’ t understand something or can ’ t get something right . Strive to understand why certain tasks need to be carried out in these systems , pay attention so that when you hear your compressor running that you know something doesn ’ t sound right . Things happen to those who show initiative and although you have worked hard for five weeks – it ’ s those that continue to learn and apply what they have learnt here to be successful . I stress again , it is not what you know that matters , it ' s what you do with your knowledge that does . Congratulations again to everyone and well done for your hard work and efforts .
Guests were invited to join in some refreshments and eats after the issuing of the ammonia diplomas to graduates were concluded . CLA

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