Events and Exhibitions
OFFICIAL REVEAL OF THE ‘ FUTURE OF TRAINING ’ FACILITY
By Benjamin Brits
South Africa will soon be home to a truly world-class , state-of-the-art training centre catering to the HVAC & R sectors , and will be located in Midrand , Johannesburg .
The launch of the “ Air Conditioning and Refrigeration ,
Infrastructure , Apprenticeships , and Skills Development Project ” took place at the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy ( ACRA ) training centre in Kempton Park where various dignitaries , government role players , guests and students were welcomed to the auspicious day for these sectors . Guests also joined via an online connection .
Addresses during the event included participation from the Department of Higher Education and Training , the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD , the German Embassy in South Africa , the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations , and the South African Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association .
The project is supported by SIFA , an initiative of the African Union Commission ( AUC ), the German Government , AUDA-NEPAD , the European Union and KFW to strengthen occupational prospects of young people in Africa through the support of innovative skills development programmes and a close cooperation with the private sector to ensure labourmarket orientation .
“ We are entering a phase where we are going to change the lives of many South Africans and indeed the face of the air conditioning and refrigeration industry as a whole . The quality of the training and skills within South Africa will be uplifted too . The scope of these industries is vast , and every single person will come into contact with the associated products today – be that their own refrigerator , comfort cooling , hospitals and medicines , the significant role as far as food security is concerned and the quality of goods from our farms ”, said event director and chief executive office of ACRA , Grant Laidlaw .
For most , the functions of refrigeration and air conditioning are normally invisible but there is great reliance on them across the board . However , as Laidlaw explained further – in any building or facility , the biggest demand for energy comes from these systems . When people are not properly trained , these systems are inefficient , and that in turn adds unnecessary load onto the national grid . With natural resources becoming more and more scarce globally , waste needs to be eliminated .
“ In terms of training , South Africa , in some instances is on par with the rest of the world , but in other instances is somewhat behind . We are moving over to natural refrigerants , where we no longer destroy the ozone - but these natural refrigerants pose other challenges such as the pressures they operate at , toxicity or are flammable thus creating a safety issue .
All photos by ACRA
The new training centre site plan .
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I January 2023 15