ROUND UP


The countdown to the SkillFRIDGE final is underway


With SKillFRIDGE 2019 final just around the corner, here’s a look at one of the industry’s leading female engineers who will be appearing on the Saturday, as well as some of the equipment that will be used.


Thriving in male dominated industry It is not a secret that the HVACR industry is largely male dominated. However, there is one woman in particular who is making her way to the top of this boys’ club. Jacinta Caden comes from an


industrial/engineering background, with her family from the west of Ireland being involved in refrigeration, electrical and haulage businesses. Whilst she could have continued in her family’s business, she chose to explore her own path, commenting: “Anything I have or haven’t accomplished is all my own doing which is empowering for me.” She has now been officially working in the


HVACR Industry since 2003 and is a qualified refrigeration engineer. At the start of her career Ms Caden was


involved in the practical side of the industry, carrying out service, maintenance and installations on RAC systems. Since then she has developed through varying roles and currently works a business development associate (Europe & Asia) for Critical Project Services, a management consulting firm specialising in the development, management and control of projects and programmes for clients in the data centre industry. Ms Caden is the fourth female in 119 years to


be elected to the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) in the UK. She is also a council member of Women’s


Engineering Services (WES) and Steering Group member of the Women in Refrigeration Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps (WiRACHP), both of which have a similar primary focus despite WiRACHP being more industry specific. In January Ms Caden was named ACR Woman


of the Year at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards 2019. In June Ms Caden received further recognition by receiving a WES Top 50 Women in Engineering Award, the theme for WES’s centenary year for this award was Current or Former Apprentices, an ideal category for her. For the last two years Ms Caden has also had


the opportunity to be on the judging panel for the RAC & IOR Student of the Year Award in the UK.


Much like those competing in the SKillFRIDGE


final, Ms Caden began her career as an apprentice and also participated in a National Skills Competition in Ireland during her apprenticeship. Ms Caden was put through her apprenticeship with an RAC contractor in Dublin. For the off-the-


November 2019


job phases of her training, she had to study in both Cork and Dublin before finally qualifying as a refrigeration engineer four years later. With the skills crisis happening in the UK, Ms


Caden’s experiences highlight the importance of apprenticeships, especially as a route into engineering. She believes it is important to fight against the


stigma so often attached to choosing apprenticeships over university, especially for females. She also feels that there is more to be done


across the country with influencing the minds of children, students, parents, mentors, employers, end users and the professionals in education to encourage young people into industry careers via apprenticeships. Ms Caden commented: “Apprenticeships are a


fantastic foundation into any career, we all know how important theory is but there is nothing quite like the hands-on experience, learning first hand, seeing and being out in the working world particularly at a young age has major advantages. “Apprenticeships are irresponsibly


underestimated in general however their potential to give students the opportunity of a head start over their peers is not to be overlooked.” Ms Caden will be attending the SkillFRIDGE final on Saturday November 23.


Industry equipment gets the job done Fieldpiece Instruments continues its support of the Skillfridge competition, this year supplying a number of the newly released digital manifold – the SMAN480 VINT. Feedback from air conditioning and


refrigeration specialists combined with Fieldpiece’s focus on continuous improvement have led to the development of SMAN refrigerant manifolds. From the overmold casing, reinforced hook,


and hermetically sealed sight glass, to the wireless capabilities, data logging, and tightness test, the SM380V and SM480V will help contestants do their job easier and faster. Another piece of equipment that will be being


used at the competition is the >B< MaxiPro for Conex Bänninger. This is a pipe connection system for refrigeration and air-conditioning pipework uses copper press fittings and are quick, clean and simple to install. The >B< MaxiPro fittings are designed specifically for high pressure refrigerant systems and use a jaw design that presses the fitting onto the pipe using three points of contact.


Since the system uses a cold press action there


isn’t a need for a flame, reducing the need for any hot work permits, resulting in a joint that doesn’t need to have nitrogen purged through it while the joint is made. Both these benefits save considerable time on site which will be useful within the SkillFRIDGE competition. Climalife has been a proud brand partner of


SkilllFRIDGE in the UK for almost two years; recognising the important contribution it makes to the industry and the platform it gives to aspiring engineers to grow to their full potential. The company is a supplier of HFC’s and low


GWP refrigerants including HFO blends and A2Ls and will be supplying OFN gas for this year’s Worldskills UK competition final at the Birmingham NEC. Managing director, Allan Harper, said: “Since


becoming a brand partner of Skillfridge in 2018, we have seen its presence and support within the industry grow considerably. “We are really proud to be a part of something


that is helping to cultivate a strong, young and innovative workforce for the future, alongside many of our cooling industry partners and colleagues.”


uwww.skillfridge.co.uk www.education-today.co.uk 43


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48