TRAINING
Developing the engineers of the future
How A-Gas is working with a school to provide young people with an insight into the world of work and a career in refrigeration.
A
-Gas and a Bristol school have forged a link to give young people an early taste of work in the refrigeration industry.
As part of an innovative scheme to boost the number of youngsters entering engineering, A-Gas and the Castle School invited pupils to design and build a vacuum exhaust system to use in refrigerant recovery. Few will deny that the refrigeration industry
needs to improve the recruitment of young people. There is a shortage of youngsters entering an industry which relies heavily on a workforce that is growing older and in some instances is not being replaced, this is where skills are being lost.
The Castle School is a co-educational
secondary and sixth form in Thornbury near Bristol. There are around 1750 pupils – including 360 in the sixth form. The school off ers a high standard of education and has high expectations for its pupils. The school’s engineering education scheme
involves students from the lower sixth form joining forces with A-Gas employees to solve a practical problem. The aim is to give the youngsters – aged 16 and 17 – an insight into an engineering career.
The purpose of the vacuum pump is to remove leftover gases from refrigeration cylinders and tankers. The scheme is hands-on and four youngsters have to construct the pump, write reports and deliver presentations on their work. The project also highlights the importance of refrigerant recovery at a time when the F-Gas step-downs are having a major impact on the industry and the production of virgin refrigerants has been cut back.
32 February 2020
Design and technology teacher Mark Easterling headed up the scheme on behalf of the school. He said: “The students are interested in engineering and may be considering careers. The scheme gives them an understanding of work and off ers them the opportunity to fi nd out about studying engineering at university.
“The students do all the hard
work. Working with the A-Gas team all I do is point them in the right direction. We are not there to solve problems but the students can ask questions and it’s up to them to fi nd the answers.” As part of the scheme the youngsters will be attending an intensive two-day residential course at Bath University. Mr Easterling said: “The university runs specialist courses on engineering. The students will have access to the engineering workshops and be able to use the facilities to work on the project.”
It’s the third year that A-Gas has been
involved in the project. The company’s senior process engineer, Suzie Barron, helps supervise the work and says it has practical benefi ts for the youngsters and the company. Ms Barron explained: “The students build the model at the school and then this is mirrored in life form at A-Gas. “It requires a signifi cant time spent on site
and this allows the youngsters to gain a good understanding of how we operate commercially. This exposure to life in an engineering
Pupils from the Castle School are helping to design and build a vacuum exhaust system to use in refrigerant recovery.
company, together with the problem-solving aspect, provides a platform on which to consider a career in engineering. “From an A-Gas and an industry perspective removing every little drop of refrigerant from a cylinder or tanker will prevent it escaping into the atmosphere and will help protect the environment. The more product we recover – the more we can supply to the industry.” A-Gas continues to develop close ties with the school and further education. The company has helped meet the cost of supplying a 3D printer to the school and in previous years pupils taking part in the engineering project have gone on to study engineering at university. To reinforce its commitment to introducing
young engineers to the industry, A-Gas runs a university placement scheme and this results in a job off ered to the student after successful completion of the degree course. This has paid dividends for A-Gas and some of its brightest and newest recruits are products of the placement scheme.
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