News
A Variety of different air conditioning systems are used in the training of skills for the A / C industry .
A selection of training material compiled by Hennie Basson .
The training of hands-on skills in South Africa has been in a state of flux and constant change for the past 30 years . Three-tofour-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 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 in 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 R290 equipment , a cold room connected to a package
Louis Vermeulen of Kovco ( left ) with Eugene Snyman , assessor , and instructor ( Raetech ).
Stripping and rebuilding of compressors is a valued learning path towards understanding basic refrigeration .
The opening of Raetech was supported by Metraclark , Daikin , Euro Cool and African Cooling Systems .
All courses have a theoretical element taught in a comfortable lecture room .
A life size cold room with a CO2 system for the training in natural refrigerants .
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I August 2022 5