Are you an active journeyperson who’s looking to expand your horizons?
Perhaps you’ve completed your apprenticeship as an electrician, sheet metal worker or gas fitter, and you want to take that experience to the next level with a move into the refrigeration trade.
(RTI) offers apprenticeship training for all four technical training levels to become a Refrigeration Apprentice.
As the training arm of the Refrigeration Workers UA Local 516, Surrey’s Refrigeration Training Institute (RTI) is dedicated to increasing the knowledge base of apprentices and journeypersons in the Refrigeration trade, as well as offering opportunities for journeypersons from other trades interested in a career with UA516 contractors.
“After becoming a Journeyman Electrician, I was looking for more challenging work so I made the cross over to refrigeration,” says Jesse, a UA 516 apprentice currently in second-year training at RTI. “I also wanted to diversify my skills to have better job security and long-term prospects. I found that a lot of my skills from being an electrician easily transferred over, as a good portion of this trade is electrical. Having trade experience allowed me to learn the additional skills with greater ease.”
Benefits of UA 516 membership, training, and employment:
- Refrigeration apprenticeship includes the Class B Gasfitter Ticket.
- UA 516 members receive extra training to complete the BR Electrical Ticket.
- Through RTI, UA 516 offers in-house training to members over and above the Industry Training Authority apprenticeship program, as well as manufacturers’ education programs.
- Red Seal electricians can have up to 1800 hours credited towards their refrigeration apprenticeship
- Red Seal gas fitters can have up to 1200 hours credited towards their refrigeration apprenticeship
- Refrigeration & Air Conditioning work is mostly service-based, which is less prone to economic downturns.
- In the current contract, fully ticketed Red Seal Journeypersons receive a $68 per hour total package
- The more skills you possess the more employable you are
With in-demand skills and certification behind them, refrigeration professionals have the opportunity to work in a less volatile industry in a number of diverse fields, says RTI Training Director Ian McComish.
For example, “employment with UA 516 signatory contractors could include working on rooftop heating & cooling, refrigeration systems at grocery stores, the ice rink at Rogers Arena, scientific equipment and everything heating or cooling in between.” he says.
UA 516 focuses on qualified workers, safe working conditions, fair wages, health benefits, retirement savings, member involvement and much more.
“My trade background is commercial electrical, working on projects ranging from residential to large commercial towers,” says Dave, another UA 516 apprentice attending
RTI. “I felt I had reached my goals in my electrical career and wanted another challenge. I’m now on a service team and I love it – service work is both engaging and challenging, and the problem-solving aspect is extremely enjoyable. There’s a lot of specialized training in refrigeration and I hope to get into one of the more niche fields of work in the future.”
Find out more from UA516 Refrigeration Workers on Facebook, Instagram, or call them at 604-882-8212 to find out what building a new career with your current skill set could look like.