OVER 26 technicians are expected to graduate with advanced skills, after they would have completed a 10 to 12-month refrigeration and air conditioning technicians training program, at the Government Technical Institute (GTI).

The certificate programme is being offered by the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Ozone Action Unit, through collaborations with the Technical, Vocational and Education Training Council (TVET) and the GTI.

The course is intended to minimise safety and environmental concerns associated with emission of refrigerants.

While delivering remarks at the recent launch of the programme, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Delma Nedd, said that it was important for persons to be certified in order to ensure accountability and competence.

“As measures are undertaken to standardise practices within the refrigeration and air conditioning sector nationally, certification of refrigeration and air conditioning personnel has become an urgent need. In keeping with global concerted efforts to reduce emissions of ozone depleting substances, the United Nations Environment Programme has stressed that, ‘certification is important in order to verify the competence of [the] personnel handling equipment and refrigerants to ensure best practice and prevent leakage of the refrigerants’. This will in turn minimise safety and environmental concerns associated with emission of refrigerants,” Ms. Nedd said.

The competency-based programme was designed to specifically target practicing technicians and, upon completion, all the graduates will be able to practise anywhere in the Caribbean.

Participants are required to complete levels one and two of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification Refrigeration and Air Conditioning course, as part of the programme requirements.

Also delivering remarks was Principal of GTI, Renita Crandon-Duncan, who said that the course was fashioned to accommodate technicians who may not have extensive academic qualifications and were already employed as technicians.

“The course not only caters to a wide range of technicians; it was designed to accommodate those of you who are practicing technicians. You will be allowed some amount of flexibility and [be] given the opportunity to complete the programme based on your pace to accommodate your work schedules,” Ms. Crandon-Duncan said.

The course will ensure a larger number of practicing technicians are provided with access to key training and professional advancement in key areas, which are often seen as challenging.

Through the Hydro-chloro-fluoro-carbons (HCFC) phase-out management plan project, Guyana has taken steps to specifically target the phasing out of HCFCs.

With this, Guyana intends to strengthen its legal and policy frameworks in order to better manage ozone depleting substances nationally, as well as, build capacity of key stakeholders through training and exposure to new alternative technologies that are not dependent on ozone depleting substances.

The permanent secretary further conveyed that this programme will further intensify Guyana’s efforts toward maintaining its commitment to the Montreal Protocol, which seeks to cut down on the emission of substances that deplete the Ozone layer.

“Guyana, through the ‘Trade Restriction on Import of Ozone Depleting Substances’ Order under the Trade Act, implemented a licensing system to control the quantity of ozone depleting substances imported annually, with the aim of reducing and subsequently completely phasing-out these substances in the near future. In addition to these controls, Guyana has restricted the importation of equipment that contains or may be dependent on ozone depleting technologies,” Ms. Nedd said.

The programme is being offered at a 75 per cent subsidised cost through collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and the GTI.

Persons interested in the programme are asked to visit the National Ozone Action Unit Office at the Hydrometeorological Service at 18 Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown.

Guyana, since 1993, has been a party to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer. As a party to the Montreal Protocol, Guyana committed to phase-out the ‘consumption’ of ozone depleting substances by 2030.