'Europe's first' professional school for HVAC&R technicians opens in Italy

‘Europe’s first’ professional school for HVAC&R technicians opens today in Magenta, a suburb of Milan, Italy. The school is the fruit of a partnership between Italian heating and cooling trade associations Assocold, Assofrigoristi and ASLAM, a professional institute.

The school, which according to Italian OEM Epta is the first of its kind in Europe, will offer training sessions on a continuous basis to teenagers and adults.

Students will learn how to work with CO₂ and propane-based systems. The facility boasts a reproduction of an entire CO₂ transcritical supermarket.

Marco Masini, COO of Assofrigoristi, said the school has two objectives: “On the one hand, we aim to create a new generation of young technicians and installers, receiving a professional diploma after three years of core courses and one for advanced classes. We expect around 25 new students (between 14 and 18 years old) every year.”

“On the other hand, we will train those technicians who are not familiar with natural refrigerants-based technologies yet,” Masini said.

“It is the first centre that offers continuous training activities, and not only at the moments of sale and installation” as is usually the case in existing training centres operated by HVAC&R companies, said Masini.

“Thanks to the contribution of Epta, we first installed the CO₂ transcritical system,” Masini explained. “In the short term, we also plan to install a propane-based chiller, provided by another Italian company in the HVAC&R sector.”

“One of the main problems we face today is to train the trainers,” said Masini, arguing that most trainers now work at private companies and that instead it is necessary to “train technicians to develop the market”.

Carlo Montanari, EptaService manager at Epta, commented: “We are happy to offer to young people the possibility of developing their individual and professional paths, taking advantage of a laboratory containing a complete refrigeration system with cutting-edge technologies and natural refrigerants in the circuits.”

The school was built according to UNI EN 13313, the European standard for assessing the competence of persons who carry out activities with refrigeration systems.