By Eamonn Ryan
This eight-part series summarises a SAIRAC TechTalk presentation by Grant Laidlaw of ACRA on the major changes taking place in South Africa’s HVAC&R skills and qualification system. The presentation covered the newly implemented national Refrigeration Occupational Qualifications, including the different refrigeration contexts, the new air-conditioning and refrigeration qualification, the position of existing apprenticeships and the registration of new apprentices.
Pressfoto/Magnific.com
It also examined the emerging part-qualifications and skills programmes, together with the new national occupational trade tests – the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) – now being implemented. This is Part 1.
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The way air-conditioning and refrigeration technicians are trained, qualified and trade-tested is undergoing a fundamental change, with the legacy system being replaced by QCTO occupational qualifications.
South Africa’s air-conditioning and refrigeration industry is in the middle of a significant change to the way artisans enter and progress through the trade. For decades, the industry relied on traditional apprenticeships, unit-standard qualifications and trade tests. That system is now being phased out and replaced by occupational qualifications administered through the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).
The change affects employers, training providers, existing apprentices, experienced technicians and people entering the industry for the first time. One of the most important dates is 30 June 2027, when trade testing for the legacy refrigeration qualifications is scheduled to end. Existing apprentices and learners can complete their training under the old system, but anyone relying on the legacy route needs to take the deadline seriously.
The Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning (ARPL) route into the old trade test is also linked to this deadline. Experienced technicians who want to obtain recognition through the legacy system therefore need to act before the transition closes.
The new system is structured differently. Instead of the old unit-standard approach, occupational qualifications combine three components: formal Knowledge Modules, Practical Modules and Workplace Experience Modules. The intention is to provide a more integrated pathway from theoretical understanding through practical training to experience on real installations.
The change also recognises that HVAC&R is no longer a single, uniform occupation. The new refrigeration qualification provides different contexts for commercial refrigeration, industrial refrigeration with an ammonia focus, and CO₂ refrigeration. The contexts share a common technical foundation but introduce specialised knowledge and practical requirements for the particular technology.
This is increasingly important as refrigeration systems become more technically specialised and the industry moves towards natural refrigerants.
Air conditioning is covered through the Occupational Certificate: Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic. This is a three-year, NQF Level 4 qualification covering areas including unitary air conditioning, ducting, airflow, commissioning and balancing, indirect systems and current natural refrigerants.
Another important change is the introduction of part-qualifications. These provide recognised qualifications for people whose work is concentrated in a particular area rather than covering the entire scope of a full refrigeration or air-conditioning trade. Examples include unitary air-conditioning installation, refrigeration pipework, domestic and light-commercial refrigeration, mobile refrigeration and ductwork.
For employers, this means that selecting the correct qualification is becoming an important part of workforce planning. A company specialising in ammonia refrigeration, for example, should not automatically put its learners through a general air-conditioning qualification. Similarly, a business concentrating on reefer containers may have a more appropriate route through mobile refrigeration or a related part-qualification.
The system also introduces a new final assessment: the Externally Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA). This replaces the traditional trade test for occupational qualifications. It combines external theoretical and practical assessment and is intended to provide a nationally standardised final test of competence. The transition therefore represents more than a change in terminology or administration. It is a restructuring of the industry’s skills pipeline.
At the same time, the technology itself is changing. The increasing use of CO₂, ammonia and hydrocarbons such as R290 means that technicians will require skills appropriate to different refrigerants and their associated safety requirements.
The success of the new system will consequently depend not only on the QCTO framework, training providers and assessment centres, but also on employers and the wider HVAC&R industry.
Workplaces still have a critical role in developing competent artisans. The new system can define what a technician needs to know and do, but meaningful exposure to real installations, maintenance, commissioning and fault-finding remains essential.
For the industry, the immediate task is to understand which parts of the old system are disappearing, which new qualifications apply to particular areas of work, and how the transition affects existing and future employees.
The legacy system is approaching its final deadline. The occupational system is becoming the new route into the HVAC&R trades.