ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Environment Ministry plans to establish a licensing system for refrigeration, air conditioning (RAC) and mobile air conditioning (MAC) technicians and to provide national vocational qualification for them.
Sri Lanka hoped to regulate “the technicians in the informal sector and introduce national vocational qualification and a license,” Apsara Mendis, Director Air Management and Ozone Unit of Ministry of Environment said.
“We will join with the Engineering Council of Sri Lanka (ECSL), and give licenses and we will bring a law saying that without the license, you can’t work with air conditioners and refrigerators.”
This would foster a skilled and certified workforce, promote environmental sustainability, and safeguard public well-being, Mendis said at the signing of an agreement with the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), on Tuesday (23).
As per this MoU, a national vocational qualification (NVQ) will be introduced through an accelerated recognition of prior learning (RPL) by PUCSL for technicians who do not have a recognized professional qualification now.
The Ministry will fund the assessment test fees, training costs and exam materials required for the final test, it said, and with the PUCSL it will carry out the ground work, training and operation side of the programme.
The ministry estimates that there are over 10,000 experienced, but uncertified RAC and MAC technicians in Sri Lanka, and says there is a “need to bridge the gap between practical knowledge and professional qualifications.”
An identification card will be issued to RAC and MAC technicians who qualify through the NVQ program.
A national licensing framework will be implemented after a sufficient number of technicians are professionally qualified as ‘National Vocational Qualification Level 4’, the ministry said.
A signatory to the Kigali Amendment and the Paris Agreement, Sri Lanka needs to adhere to the provisions of the Montreal protocol in terms of electrical safety, energy conservation, environmental conservation and maintenance of refrigeration and air conditioning and mobile air conditioning equipment, Secretary to the Minister of Environment, B K Prabath Chandrakeerthi pointed out.
The ministry hopes that certifying technicians will help minimize the emission of ozone-depleting chemicals into the atmosphere.
Technicians can send a WhatsApp message with name and district to 0764271030 to register to obtain National Professional Qualification Level 3, the ministry said. (Colombo/Jan24/2024)
Source: Economy Next
