The industry today — workplaces, job opportunities and future

If you look around on an ordinary day, cooling is hidden in almost everything: cooling and freezer cases in supermarkets, air conditioning in offices, cold storage in hospitals and laboratories, industrial cooling in food production — and increasingly heat pumps in private homes and large buildings. That is the world you work in as a refrigeration technician, and it is growing rather than shrinking.

§Where do you work?

The craft is broad, and that's one of its strengths. You can end up many different places, depending on what interests you.

• 01Cooling and installation companies that build and install systems.
• 02Service companies that keep systems running and respond when errors occur.
• 03Retail with large refrigeration and freezing equipment in the stores.
• 04Food and pharmaceutical industry with high demands on temperature and hygiene.
• 05Hospitals, laboratories and data centres with critical cooling.
• 06The heat pump industry that is growing with the green transition.

§What drives demand?

The need for refrigeration technicians is linked to some long-term trends. Increasingly more needs to be cooled and temperature-controlled, facilities become more complex, and when a cooling system stands still, it can mean lost goods or closed production – so there is pressure to get it running again. This creates an ongoing need for people who understand both thermodynamics, electricity and mechanics.

§Green transition and new refrigerants

The future is pulling the trade in a greener direction. Regulations on refrigerants are tightening, so the industry is increasingly switching to natural refrigerants such as CO2, ammonia and hydrocarbons that are less damaging to the climate. This sets new requirements for how systems are built and serviced safely. At the same time, more data and monitoring are coming, so errors can be detected before the system breaks down.

§What does it mean for you?

For you as a prospective refrigeration technician it means the trade is not standing still. You should expect to learn new things all the time – new refrigerants new system types new controls. It can sound demanding but it is also what makes a skilled refrigeration technician rarely short of tasks. The broader you make yourself the more doors are open.