Woolworths Group’s Post

Our Apprenticeship offers a hands on experience with all aspects of Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

What are your thoughts on Air Conditioning Engineers working in Refrigeration? In my experience engineers who serve an apprenticeship with an air conditioning company seem to struggle when switching over to working on refrigeration and chillers. With refrigeration there not the same level of manufacturers technical help so engineers are out on their own. I have also seen refrigeration engineers struggle with air conditioning particularly VRF/VRV systems and some do not want to cross over. At ICE we cover a wide variety of systems so require engineers that can work on air conditioning, refrigeration, and chillers. This in the past has caused us headaches when recruiting. To solve this issue, we developed our apprenticeship programme where we can train engineers in the variety of equipment that we look after, and in turn we get a well-rounded engineer that’s familiar with our processes and standards. We will be taking on our next recruits early 2025.

Did you know ICE Ltd started in 1935? Here is an introduction to my business ICE Ltd, one of the longest standing, and most respected names in the refrigeration industry. This video tells a little about our history and who we serve today. Back in the 80s ICE was acquired by a large American manufacturer York International, they had branches in Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds, and we became a leading company in the industrial refrigeration market. Around six years later, there was some negotiation and senior management purchased the company name along with certain assets, and re-established the business to a single site in the centre of Warrington. Today the company’s based just down the road in Runcorn, Cheshire. From here, we’ve revolutionised expectations and bring unmatched standards to all our clients, nationwide. ICE’S USP - Flexibility and the speed of our response 🏎️💨 PROBLEMS WE FIX 🧑🔧 Waiting around for engineers to show whilst losing ££ on production downtime or lost products. ♻️ Compliance with F Gas Regulations 💷 Costly repairs caused by lack of maintenance either from not having contracts in place or using companies who just brush filters and complete paper worksheets sat in their vans. ✌️ Peace of mind that you can get hold of an engineer out of hours. WHO WE SERVE Anyone who relies on cooling to operate their business such as: 💊 Pharmaceutical Wholesalers or Manufactures 🍞 The Food Industry 🚛 Distribution Companies that store temperature-controlled goods such as medicines or food. ❄️ Company Offices that reply on air conditioning to cool or heat their buildings We’ve got TWO sides to the business. The Projects Team They’re the ones who undertake projects and installation work and deal with a wide range of projects both large and small. These can be a single wall mounted AC system installed within a small office ,right up to a pharmaceutical chill store the size of several football pitches. The Service Team. These are the ones who manage the maintenance plans, the repairs, and the reactive call outs. And the ones who answer the phone at 2am Christmas morning 🎅 Our Apprenticeship Scheme I took over as MD in 2011, but I actually started as an apprentice back in 2001. That’s why our apprenticeship scheme is so important to us. At present over 50% of our engineers have come through the ICE apprenticeship scheme. We recruit locally and train them to the high standard we require, so we can focus on employing the right character and personality. When recruiting we look for the correct attitude, as skills can always be taught, That’s the foundation of everything at ICE, Need help with you cooling requirements, then get in touch via DM.

Did you know ICE Ltd started in 1935? Here is an introduction to my business ICE Ltd, one of the longest standing, and most respected names in the refrigeration industry. This video tells a little about our history and who we serve today. Back in the 80s ICE was acquired by a large American manufacturer York International, they had branches in Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds, and we became a leading company in the industrial refrigeration market. Around six years later, there was some negotiation and senior management purchased the company name along with certain assets, and re-established the business to a single site in the centre of Warrington. Today the company’s based just down the road in Runcorn, Cheshire. From here, we’ve revolutionised expectations and bring unmatched standards to all our clients, nationwide. ICE’S USP - Flexibility and the speed of our response 🏎️💨 PROBLEMS WE FIX 🧑🔧 Waiting around for engineers to show whilst losing ££ on production downtime or lost products. ♻️ Compliance with F Gas Regulations 💷 Costly repairs caused by lack of maintenance either from not having contracts in place or using companies who just brush filters and complete paper worksheets sat in their vans. ✌️ Peace of mind that you can get hold of an engineer out of hours. WHO WE SERVE Anyone who relies on cooling to operate their business such as: 💊 Pharmaceutical Wholesalers or Manufactures 🍞 The Food Industry 🚛 Distribution Companies that store temperature-controlled goods such as medicines or food. ❄️ Company Offices that reply on air conditioning to cool or heat their buildings We’ve got TWO sides to the business. The Projects Team They’re the ones who undertake projects and installation work and deal with a wide range of projects both large and small. These can be a single wall mounted AC system installed within a small office ,right up to a pharmaceutical chill store the size of several football pitches. The Service Team. These are the ones who manage the maintenance plans, the repairs, and the reactive call outs. And the ones who answer the phone at 2am Christmas morning 🎅 Our Apprenticeship Scheme I took over as MD in 2011, but I actually started as an apprentice back in 2001. That’s why our apprenticeship scheme is so important to us. At present over 50% of our engineers have come through the ICE apprenticeship scheme. We recruit locally and train them to the high standard we require, so we can focus on employing the right character and personality. When recruiting we look for the correct attitude, as skills can always be taught, That’s the foundation of everything at ICE, Need help with you cooling requirements, then get in touch via DM.

In a letter to the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, the The Food and Drink Training and Education Council Limited (FTC) and the Provision Trade Federation (PTF) have called for more support for food apprenticeships amidst cost increases and skills shortages. #education #apprenticeships #foodindustry

What makes a good refrigerant? Review the fundamentals and explore Fantastic Fridges, a valuable resource detailing some of the commonly used refrigerants. This website is free and serves as an excellent tool for anyone studying for an apprenticeship, T-levels, or looking to refresh their knowledge of RACHP basics. Click on the link below to find out more. #refrigeration #refrigerant 

Our 'Growing Bakers' Apprenticeship Programme, at The Bread Factory, exemplifies the true value of apprenticeships and showcases how everyone can build a rising career in the baking industry. Absolutely, there are many misconceptions about apprenticeships that can prevent people from fully growing their careers. Some common misconceptions are that apprenticeships are only for certain trades. Are for those who don't do well academically, and apprentices are low-paid workers. Apprenticeships don't lead to good career prospects and are only for young people. Forget about all these misconceptions, we welcome everyone with a passion for baking. By condensing the journey to becoming a skilled Artisan Baker into a little over a year, we offer comprehensive training, ongoing support, and robust career prospects. Our apprentices gain hands-on experience, a deep understanding of the craft, and a pathway to a fulfilling career in baking. Are you as passionate for baking as we are? If so, there's no better place to Grow Your Career than The Bread Factory. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/ejQ9MnD4 

For the third year running, I’ve been a judge in the Victorian State Training Awards. This year, I judged the Apprentice of the Year category. Apprenticeships are such an important aspect of career development in the meat industry, particularly in the retail butchery sectors. During the process of reviewing all 32 applicants for the category, I was able to make two insightful observations potentially driving the take up of apprenticeships, and some of the challenges as to why meat industry apprenticeships may not be as highly regarded as other trades. Observation 1 – A key driver influencing young people to choose their vocation The first question that applicants had to answer was why they chose their course. The majority of respondents explained that they were exposed to a trade through the work that their parents did. Many who enrolled in motor trades, mechanical trades, hairdressing and carpentry for example, stated that they grew up in their dads (or mums) home workshop and started helping their parents on projects. This exposure led them to develop interests in trades. Tinkering on small jobs was a father/son or mother/daughter past time. Over time, this grew into a desire to pursue an apprenticeship. It made me realise just how influential parents are on their child’s education and how early exposure to trades can lead young people down an apprenticeship pathway. Observation 2 - A possible reason why young people are not as attracted to meat industry apprenticeships As mentioned in observation 1, young people became interested in trade careers by being exposed to a profession at home. Some trades are easier to partake in from home such as working on cars in the garage, crafting furniture from a home workshop, or styling hair from any room with a chair and a mirror. Working with meat products, using sharp instruments requires a safe, hygieneic space, where perishable raw materials can’t afford to be discarded due to cost and storage requirements. It’s possible that exposure to butchery at home is less common accordingly. The meat industry needs to create exposure events for young people whilst still in school. Opportunities exist to work with job seekers, and provide them with exposure to meat industry professions as well. MINTRAC has been working with job seekers and exposing them to the retail butchery trade. This has been through investment from the NSW Trade Pathways Fund. MINTRAC’s pre-employment training and exposure program offered job seekers access to foundation skills training in retail butchery. Training delivered by MINTRAC in partnership with TAFE NSW was facilitated at the Wollongong campus. The program also included direct industry exposure through retail butcher store site visits. The combination of foundation skills and site tours provided job seekers with a 360 degree view of the industry and helped them make career based decisions. Our program filled job vacancies and achieved apprenticeship enrollments 👍

More careers started through RKAP! Check out the latest apprenticeship signings in the article below. Let us know if your business needs help recruiting and retaining talent, or if you’re looking for a new career.

The revised Level 2 Butchery #Apprenticeship has been designed by the whole industry to meet the needs of not only in-store and craft butchers, but those process butchers working on fast-paced production lines. @FDQ1 #skills #learning The new EPAs will comprise three different assessments, including: - A 30 question knowledge test (previously 60 questions) - Observation with questions (previously a practical skills assessment) - Interview underpinned by a portfolio (previously a log book) https://ow.ly/UNGA50Tprt7