UNEP OzonAction and AREA jointly organized a side event during OEWG-48 in Thailand to examine the role of the refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing sector in supporting the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment. Around 90 participants, 45% of them women, represented governments, industry associations, training institutions and international organizations.
The event focused on technician skills needed for the transition to low-GWP refrigerants and energy-efficient cooling technologies. Topics included installation and servicing, refrigerant recovery and recycling, leak prevention, energy efficiency and the safe handling of refrigerants.
UNEP OzonAction presented training and capacity-building resources including its Products and Tools Catalogue, university courses developed with ASHRAE, e-learning programmes, educational videos, mobile applications and certification support tools. The resources are intended for National Ozone Units, training institutions and RAC practitioners.
The event also featured the UNEP-AREA Training Manual, a modular package covering environmental considerations, refrigerant classifications, flammable and low-GWP refrigerants, refrigerant recovery and recycling, and energy efficiency in RAC operation and servicing. Examples showed its use in technician training and training-of-trainers programmes in Article 5 countries.
Panellists from Zimbabwe, China, Fiji and Bahrain discussed national training and workforce development. They highlighted the need to integrate RAC training into national skills systems, update curricula as technologies and regulations evolve, strengthen standards and certification, reach informal-sector and remote technicians, and support women’s participation and leadership in the sector.