Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Apprentice
CEN Air Solutions Ltd
Worthing, 2 minute walk from bus stop for services 8, 8A, 9, 700 Coastliner, 743, N700 Coastliner, Pulse
£6.40 an hour, 8am-5pm Monday-Friday, 40 hours a week
This role is subject to a successful DBS check
Able to make your own way to and from College campus
CEN Air has a wealth of experience in the air conditioning and ventilation industries, providing our services to a wide client base ranging from SMEs through to large corporations, educational institutions, general office space, commercial and residential accommodation. Based in Lancing, we are ideally located to cover the surrounding areas of Brighton and Worthing; we work anywhere in the Sussex and Surrey areas. We are a family-run organisation with a passionate focus on customer service and client satisfaction.
Your role will be to help the lead Engineer with tools, marking up jobs, tidying up during and after the job is completed, helping with installations, servicing units and fault finding.
Skills
- Good communication skills
- The ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Comfortable working at height
- Attention to detail
Personal qualities
- Self driven
- Focused
- Ability to understand and follow verbal and written instructions
- Good interpersonal skills for working with supervisors, colleagues, and customers
Qualifications
GCSE 9-4/A*-C in English and maths or Functional Skills Level 2 in both, proof of certificates is required
Due to the demands of the role and education, applications with less than the required grades will not be considered. Equally, applications received without stating GCSE maths and English/Functional Skills/equivalent results will not be considered.
What does the programme include?
Key activities are: the design, installation, routine maintenance, reactive service, commissioning and de-commissioning of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump systems. Technicians require a thorough competency in their understanding of the engineering principles of thermodynamics and the vapour compression cycle in order to perform operations.
Apprentices are expected to acquire the required transferrable knowledge, skills and behaviours identified in the Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician Standard and to provide evidence of their application in their specific work environment. This apprenticeship has been designed by industry representing a wide range of employers diverse in terms of size, location and type of work and supported by Professional Institutes and Trade associations.
During on-programme training apprentices must achieve the mandatory qualifications “Level 2 Certificate in F Gas and ODS Regulations Category 1, a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in either Refrigeration or Air Conditioning and a level 3 Diploma in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning” as defined in the apprenticeship standard. The F Gas Certificate, Level 2 and Level 3 certificates must be submitted as part of the Gateway. All apprentices must complete an Apprentice Development Journal on-programme. This must be completed before the apprentice can pass through to the End-point Assessment at Gateway stage, and will be used to inform the Apprentice Development Journal synopsis which the apprentice will write during the EPA period.
This standard is designed to meet the professional standards of the Engineering Council for registration as an Engineering Technician (EngTech) in partnership with the Institute of Refrigeration and CIBSE.
What attendance is required?
A 36 month apprenticeship programme delivered on a day-release basis (one day per week) at City of Portsmouth College's North Harbour Campus in North Harbour, Portsmouth.
Following successful completion of the course and End Point Assessment you will achieve the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician apprenticeship standard which includes a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in either Refrigeration or Air Conditioning, a level 3 Diploma in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and an F-Gas Handling Fluorinated Gases and Ozone-Depleting Substances Category 1 certificate.
Learning and assessment
The Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician is a specialist occupation involved in planning, preparing and safely carrying out work activities in process, product and space cooling. Knowledge must be transferrable between any of the core activities of refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pumps.
Apprentices will spend typically 36 months on-programme working towards the apprenticeship standard, with a minimum of six hours a week off-the-job training. Off the job can consist (but is not an exhaustive list) of college attendance, homework/coursework, project related work, employer training, mentoring, and coaching.
First 24 months will be spent learning the basics of being a Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician. By the end of the first 24 months the apprentice will have achieved the Level 2 NVQ that incorporates the F Gas and ODS Regulations Category 1, they must pass this to then progress onto the final 12 months which solidifies the Level 3 learning and ensures they can progress after the apprenticeship to a Supervisory role. They will cover heat load calculations, air conditioning systems etc. This ensures the apprentices finishes the education completely and so gains more employability prospects.
The End-point Assessment (EPA) will provide summative synoptic assessments to test apprentices against the full apprenticeship standard. Before accessing EPA there will be a Gateway stage at which evidence will have to be provided for each apprentice to confirm their readiness to progress to EPA.
At Gateway the employer confirms the apprentice has acquired the required knowledge, skills and behaviours to progress to Endpoint assessment. This must include a completed Apprentice Development Journal and appropriate on programme learning outcomes and must be verified by way of a Gateway Form signed by Employer and apprentice.
End-point Assessment (final 3-6 months) - apprenticeship results and grading is generated on aggregate of three assessment methods
- Knowledge and skills test - an online multiple choice exam assessing across the knowledge requirements of the Standard. This is written, delivered and marked by the End-point Assessment Organisation (EPAO).
- Practical test - takes between 14-18 hours to complete and can be carried out over a maximum of three days. It is anticipated that a minimum of 14 hours should be allowed in order to carry out all of the test tasks specified adequately. Practical tests must be written by the EPAO in line with the specification in this End-point Assessment Plan. The assessment will be observed, documented, recorded, marked and graded by an Independent Assessor appointed by the EPAO.
- Professional interview - a focused interview with an Independent Assessor appointed by the EPAO enabling the apprentice to give evidence verbally of how they have applied the required knowledge, skills and behaviours through their work experience, drawing on examples from their Apprentice Development Journal synopsis. The synopsis itself will not be assessed as part of the Interview and will not contribute to the grading of the apprenticeship.
Performance in the EPA will determine the apprenticeship grade of Distinction, Merit, Pass or Fail.
After completing the apprenticeship and with a few years of experience on the tools, a fully competent technician works without immediate supervision, and liaises effectively with other trades and with end users.
Future prospects
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, and subject to progress as an employee and business requirements at that time, Cen Air Solutions would like to offer you a full time job.
Things to keep in mind
- 28 days holiday which includes bank holidays
- Sick pay