INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
NEWS
Hennie with guests from Tru-Temp Air Conditioning ( Jolanda Blom ) and Apollo Air ( Carlo van Wyk and Nols Lubbe ).
A course in pipe joining is offered and included in various courses .
Training is given on different electrical panel layouts .
John Ackermann
A variety of different air conditioning systems are used in the training of skills for the A / C industry .
An aerial view of the training centre .
The opening of Raetech was supported by Metraclark , Daikin , Euro Cool and African Cooling Systems .
Louis Vermeulen of Kovco ( left ) with Eugene Snyman , assessor , and instructor ( Raetech ).
John Ackermann
John Ackermann
John Ackermann
Raetech Training Centre
John Ackermann
John Ackermann
John Ackermann
constant change for the past 30 years . Three-to-four-year apprenticeships at the many state-owned enterprises have given way to learnerships , short courses , training at TVET colleges , and thankfully at privately owned training providers .
The voluntary registration by ACRICSA of persons as being competent to safely handle refrigerants has given way to being a legal requirement in terms of the Pressure Equipment Regulation introduced in 2009 .
Regrettably , a common finding is that staff who have passed through formal training at a recognised institution and then been employed in the industry must be re-trained before being commercially viable .
The difficulties in sourcing qualified artisans for his A / C & R contracting business motivated Hennie Basson to establish a state-of-the-art training college at one of his properties in Paarl .
The 20 apprentices on the payroll of Cold Fact transformed the building into the Raetech college - which was showcased to industry role players on 14th June 2022 .
“ The erection of the trade test centre , the installation of the many configurations of air conditioning units , the laboratory with
John Ackermann
R290 equipment , a cold room connected to a package CO 2 system , and setting up of a welding shop proved invaluable training for our apprentices at different levels in their career paths . With the generous support by Daikin and Metraclark of equipment at reduced prices , the Raetech college represents a capital investment of R1.1- million ,” Hennie Basson said at the opening of the facility .
As a training provider accredited by QCTO , the college will serve as a trade test centre and structure courses in line with the present learnerships , apprenticeships and the SARACCA Safe Handling of Refrigerants handbook .
Basson went on to say , “ We aim to keep our operating costs low to be able to offer quality training at an affordable level . It is not our intention to undercut the rates of other
John Ackermann
1 million people are directly employed in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector .
Stripping and rebuilding of compressors is a valued learning path towards understanding basic refrigeration .
A life size cold room with a CO 2 system for the training in natural refrigerants .
All courses have a theoretical element taught in a comfortable lecture room .
COLD LINK AFRICA • September 2022 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za 7