13 June 2023
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Mick Holian is leading the training for Pinder Cooling & Heating
Pinder Cooling & Heating has introduced a new internal training programme to help address what it sees as a growing industry skills shortage.
The Bradford-based commercial refrigeration and air conditioning specialist has launched modular training for its HVAC engineers and says it already reduced client recalls by 50%.
Technical service engineer Mick Holian, who is heading up the project, said: “The industry is facing a significant skills gap as the number of people retiring outpaces new entrants. This is only going to get worse as current engineers get closer to retirement age. I’m doing what I can by passing on my experience to the next generation of engineers.
“There is a shortage of training resources on the ground. The 5-Day standard F-Gas (Cat 1) qualification allows an engineer to work on refrigeration & air conditioning systems, but it cannot possibly prepare them for the complexity of some modern HVAC systems.
“By improving the training opportunities we’re better preparing our engineers for what they will see in the field. It’s better for everybody: improved development for the engineer, improved productivity for the company and most importantly, it reduces time and money costs for the customer at a time when costs are rising.”
Andrew Pinder, who founded the business in 2016, said: “Mick has a wealth of knowledge from 42 years in the industry and it would be a shame to not take advantage of that to further develop our team. The training is already paying off with improved first-time fix rates, 50% fewer recalls, improved productivity and less overtime. It’s also had a positive impact on engineers being comfortable asking for help when they don’t know how to resolve an issue.”
The training aims to cover all aspects of air conditioning and refrigeration, including controls, wiring diagrams, refrigeration processes and function of parts, service tips and diagnosis methods.
