EVENTS
The IOR puts skills on the menu
The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) used its 126th Annual Dinner in London to unveil the Industry Skills Alliance, a new forum designed to align training with real-world needs across the RACHP sector. While the evening celebrated technical achievement and service, the launch signalled a move towards coordinated action to tackle the skills challenges.
T Lisa-Jayne Cook
“None of this happens by accident,” she said. “It happens because people step forward.”
he Institute of Refrigeration’s 126th Annual Dinner in London on 12 February 2026 was, on the surface, everything the sector has come to expect from one of its longest-standing gatherings: a full room, a formal programme, and a series of awards recognising technical achievement and service. But this year’s event was a little diff erent, being a platform for a change in how the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) industry intends to confront its most persistent challenge: skills.
The launch of the Industry Skills Alliance dominated
the evening’s agenda, setting a tone that was less about celebration and more about coordinated action. In her address, IOR President Lisa-Jayne Cook described the sector as being in “the fastest period of change in its history”, citing pressures ranging from net zero and climate adaptation to digitalisation and the arrival of new refrigerants and technologies. Against that backdrop, she said, members consistently identify skills as their top concern. “Education and skills remain our number one strategic priority,” she told attendees. “It’s not a slogan, it’s a responsibility.”
Industry Skills Alliance
The Industry Skills Alliance is designed as a forum bringing together employers, educators, trainers and awarding bodies. Its purpose is straightforward: align training provision with real-world needs and create a single, trusted space for collaboration.
The Alliance will act as a convening body for the industry’s conversations with awarding organisations, government departments and policy stakeholders. Its remit includes improving training quality, supporting providers, encouraging investment in skills development and sharing labour market intelligence to inform longterm workforce planning. Cook said the initiative “responds directly” to feedback from across the sector, noting that stakeholders have repeatedly highlighted the need for a forum where employers and providers can co- design solutions to workforce challenges. The fi rst meeting will take place in March 2026 at an in- person event hosted by the IOR, followed by quarterly sessions alternating between strategic discussions, working groups and
22 March 2026 •
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networking. Employers, apprenticeship and training providers, awarding bodies and careers professionals are being invited to participate. Coordination will fall to IOR Education Outreach Project Manager Matt Harvey, who is already working with the IOR Education Committee, the BRA Training Section and BESA education specialists to align activity. Early discussions will draw on fi ndings from the IOR’s recent
future skills survey. Priority topics are expected to include apprenticeship quality, skills shortages, trainer recruitment and development, and career pathways. The aim is to “codevelop solutions, share best practice and coordinate national initiatives.”
The IOR on skills and education Although the Alliance was the headline announcement, the broader programme of the Annual Dinner reinforced the same theme: the sector’s future depends on people, training and coordinated eff ort.
Cook used her speech to highlight growth in engagement
across the organisation. According to fi gures shared during the event, the IOR welcomed 86 new members over the past year, saw 148 new students and apprentices registered through colleges, delivered webinars and events watched by more than 4,200 people, and brought together over 1,000 attendees across its London, Scotland and relaunched Newcastle dinners. She also pointed to new initiatives, including Adaptation, an international research conference focused on refrigeration performance in rising ambient temperatures; a new IOR app providing mobile access to technical guidance; and an upcoming 125th anniversary book produced by volunteers. “None of this happens by accident,” she said. “It happens because people step forward.” That sentiment carried into her recognition of volunteers, trustees, committee members and regional branches. She thanked the newly appointed President-Elect Steve Gill and emphasised the importance of cross-generational collaboration. “When we work together, across roles, generations and disciplines, we don’t just respond to change, we lead it.”
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