World Refrigeration Day is celebrated annually on the June 26. The theme this year is “Cooling Champions: Cool Careers for a better world”
The day recognizes the importance of cooling in our daily life for example transportation (mobile refrigeration containers and trucks) of perishable, keeping perishables for long periods in a safe manner for transportation and use at later dates. In order to transport some medical supplies, it is important to store them in a cold store environment (Covid 19 vaccines). More importantly in our daily life we need maintenance of all the equipment we have. This demands a level of expertise to manage these equipment and hence a career in the cooling industry is a noteworthy choice with expanding opportunities for men and promoting women in cooling careers will be highlighted in this year’s campaign as well.
In a developing situation where the demand for housing is increasing and buildings tend to be designed as multi-storied with many occupants and offices the need for cooling is expansive and necessary. The objective is to inspire students and those early in their career path to join the more than 15 million people worldwide currently employed in the refrigeration sector, making our existence better.
Refrigeration is at the very heart of modern life. The total number of refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump systems in operation worldwide is around 5 billion. Those systems provide the conditions we require for health, comfort, worker productivity, manufacturing, and essential environments for food, pharmaceuticals, and digital data. Dedicated professionals design, build, maintain, and regulate them as well as educate a new generation of practitioners.
Opportunities within the industry abound for young people with a wide range of career aspirations. Advanced cooling technologies need to be implemented in order to expand life and required environmental conditions while meeting sustainability requirements of international climate and ozone protection accords. A new generation of cooling champions – engineers, technicians, researchers, educators, policy experts and executives – are needed to create controlled environments modern life requires. The benefits of reaching into a wide diversity of communities for promising talent will be a high agenda priority.
Much of the world’s refrigeration and air conditioning equipment once relied on gases controlled under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone layer to which Guyana is committed to, notably Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. Through the National Ozone Action Unit, Guyana contributes to the smooth flow of the cold chain by providing equipment, curriculum development, support training at GTI, Guysco Training Centre, Sophia Training Centre, Kuru Kuru Training Centre and University of Guyana for technicians and engineers. In addition, the unit supports short term training by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) in refrigeration and air conditioning. In celebration of WRD21 and International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, the opportunity is taken for awareness-raising, and ensuring industry, technicians and the general public are informed about the importance and opportunities offered through the cold chain.
