IJR Editorial: The IIR on the board of the international network of women in cooling

IJR Editorial - December 2022

 

 

The refrigeration sector is fast expanding: we need more and more equipment and applications (air-conditioning, heat pumps, cold chain, cryogenics…), therefore we need more qualified people all over the world. Due to environmental constraints, innovations are necessary. It has been reported at a global scale that there is a shortage of qualified technicians and engineers in the refrigeration field in developed and developing countries. We need to make the importance of the refrigeration industry more visible to the general public and particularly to the younger generation, including women.

 

Women are significantly and visibly under-represented in the refrigeration industry. A preliminary evaluation has demonstrated that around 6% of women are members of national refrigeration and air-conditioning associations/organisations/institutions.

 

The IIR considers that attracting and retaining more women in the field is a major issue!

 

At the ICR Congress in 2015, the IIR launched the CaRe (Career in Refrigeration) working group as well as a sub-working group dedicated to Women in Refrigeration. The CaRe has organised and hosted several networking events for students and early career engineers and researchers. The working group published articles on minority groups in the RACHP sector, including various articles on Women in Refrigeration.

 

Recently, the IIR (CaRe) joined the Board of the International Network of Women in Cooling (INWIC). It is a networking, educational and mentoring platform to promote the role of women in the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump industry. This initiative will connect women currently working in the sector, empowering them to progress in their career and become visible role models, changing outdated perceptions and influencing the next generation of women engineers. INWIC is a joint initiative of UNEP OzonAction and WRD, in cooperation with founding partners representing key professional RACHP associations from all regions. By bringing together women from all continents, INWIC enables the sharing of experiences, successful local policies and career opportunities that would not otherwise be available. It provides an opportunity to learn from each other, to understand how to bring about positive change in each cultural context and to promote the environmental aspect of the RACHP profession. The figure below summarises INWIC's proposed eight work streams for the next two years (July 2022 – June 2024).

 

 

The first step of the INWIC initiatives includes connecting existing women's groups/sections of national and international RACHP associations/organisations/institutions to create a network that shares information and experiences. INWIC will gather data from founding partners to raise awareness and motivation, and to promote role models and outreach activities underway. A mentoring program will be developed for women already working in RACHP and for young women pursuing RACHP education. At a later stage, INWIC will establish an internship programme with a focus on opportunities in developing countries and will organise international, regional and national events. The network is expected to accelerate gender equality in RACHP, enabling women to be agents of change for a more sustainable and resilient future.

 

In anticipation last year, IIR (CaRe) and UNEP OzonAction, in cooperation with several partners, undertook a global survey to better understand the background, motivation, challenges, and opportunities faced by women working in the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump sector. A total of 810 women from all continents responded to the survey, which was available in seven languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Chinese). Overall, 59% of the respondents were under 40 years of age and half had a postgraduate degree, indicating likely limitations in reaching women working in this field as technicians. For more information, please read this report.

 

Currently, the IIR is developing an Informatory Note (IN) on employment in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector. This will present both the different professions that make up this sector as well as the corresponding qualifications and certifications in various countries. Figures on employment in the refrigeration sector will be provided at global level. This IN will be published in 2022.

 

Finally, the IIR has recently launched the IIR Women in Refrigeration Medal. The award will be given to a woman who has made outstanding scientific achievements in academic or industrial research, innovation or development, in all fields of RACHP, at the ICR2023 in Paris in August next year. We invite you to nominate a woman who could potentially win this award. Find out more on the IIR website.

 

À propos des auteurs

 

Catarina Marques est chargée de recherche à la London South Bank University et présidente du groupe de travail de l'IIF sur les carrières dans le froid (CaRe).

Ina Colombo est directrice générale adjointe de l'Institut International du Froid et secrétaire du groupe de travail de l'IIF sur les carrières dans le froid (CaRe).

Sonja Wagner est responsable de la gestion du programme OzonAction du Programme des Nations unies pour l'environnement.