Image: ShutterstockThe global project Cool Contribution fighting Climate Change II (C4 II) presented best practices in gender mainstreaming in the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector in Grenada at the “Regional Workshop for Women in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning”, which was held back-to-back with the “Thematic Network Meeting of the National Ozone Officers (NOOs) from the English-speaking Caribbean and Haiti” from 13 to 14 November 2023 in Trinidad.
UNEP OzonActionMr. Jiminy Scott, Junior Technical Advisor for the C4 II project in Grenada, presented on the efforts of the Grenada National Ozone Unit (NOU) in Grenada towards advancing gender mainstreaming within the RAC sector with the support of C4 II project. The Regional Workshop for Women in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, organized by UNEP Ozone Action, provided a platform for female RAC technicians in the Caribbean Network to share their experiences.
Training Female Cooling Technicians
To facilitate Grenada’s switch towards Green Cooling, C4 II supports the training of RAC technicians in the safe use and handling of natural refrigerants. In 2022, the project trained the first two female refrigeration and air conditioning trainers from Grenada and Barbados at the Cool Training in Germany.
Watch this video to hear what they have to say about women in refrigeration:
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R290 demonstration project
In 2023, an all-female team of RAC technicians installed an R290 AC in the office of Grenada’s Minister of Climate Resilience, The Environment & Renewable Energy, Hon. Minister Kerryne James. Minister James expressed her desire to involve more women in the RAC sector and encourage them to consider careers in the STEM fields.
Read more: Women in Grenada are championing change in the RAC sector.
Watch the video:
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Gender survey
During the 2023 Grenada Cool Training, a training on the natural refrigerant propane (R290), C4 II conducted an anonymous survey, in which participants expressed strong support for women entering the RAC sector.
Answers given by RAC technicians on the question: “What is your advice for women who are interested in joining the RAC sector?”
- "It is an interesting field to work in for any gender and if one chooses to work in that field, they should."
- "Stay focused, don't be intimidated, and go for what you want."
- "My advice for women who are interested is to speak to women who are already involved with HVAC field to determine if that is what you really want to do."
Read more about the Cool Training: Grenada Cool Training: Applying Natural Refrigerant Technology - Green Cooling Initiative (green-cooling-initiative.org).
