Refrigerant technicians get training on safe use of hydrocarbons |05 August 2022

The technicians during the training session

Technicians working in the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector in Seychelles recently got the chance to attend training on the handling and safety aspect of hydrocarbons.

The week-long training was organised by the ozone unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment.

This is an ongoing training since early 2000 and now with the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol for the phasing down of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), more emphasis is being put to empower refrigerant technicians to better handle natural refrigerants.

Furthermore, it will be compulsory when applying for a license in the RAC sector business to undergo this training.

The course was held at the Seychelles Institute of Technology in collaboration with the National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Seychelles Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment.

This training programme is part of Seychelles’ HCFC phase down management plan (HPMP) of 2011, implemented by our international partners GIZ Proklima (German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development) for RAC technicians on the safe use of hydrocarbons and other natural refrigerants throughout the country.

In addition to training, the course was designed to “better understand the motivation, challenges, and opportunities when working in this sector and to encourage them to continue their careers in this area”.

The technicians at the training believe that local technicians should fill the gap in the skilled workforce in the field of green cooling technology, especially with regard to the safe use of natural refrigerants.

Contributed by the National Ozone Unit