Following a year of major education policy announcements, attention is now turning from strategy to implementation. While many of the reforms set out in 2025 will take time to influence everyday teaching and learning, the direction of travel is now clear. For the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) sector, and for the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR), these changes present both significant opportunities and important responsibilities.

At a time when the UK faces acute shortages of skilled engineers and technicians, and when cooling and heat pump technologies are central to the transition to net zero, the way post-16 education and training reforms are implemented will directly affect the future capacity, competence and resilience of our workforce.

Curriculum and assessment reform: a better fit for technical competence

The Curriculum and Assessment Review places strong emphasis on modular qualifications, competency-based assessment and flexible progression routes. This direction aligns well with the needs of the RACHP sector, where technical competence, safety and up-to-date industry practice are critical.

Modular and stackable qualifications offer new ways to support rapid upskilling in priority areas such as heat pump installation, low-carbon refrigeration, alternative refrigerants and system maintenance. Competency-based assessment, meanwhile, provides an opportunity to better recognise workplace learning and practical capability, ensuring that qualifications reflect real occupational performance rather than solely classroom-based knowledge.

For IOR, this reform agenda strengthens its role as a technical authority. There is a clear opportunity to influence qualification content, occupational standards and assessment frameworks so that they reflect employer demand, emerging technologies and regulatory requirements. Active engagement now will help ensure that future curricula produce engineers who are genuinely industry-ready.

Post-16 reform and new vocational pathways: shaping the future workforce

The Post-16 Education and Skills white paper and the consultation on new level 2 and 3 vocational pathways, including the introduction of V Levels, mark a major restructuring of technical education.

For the RACHP sector, these reforms could create clearer and more attractive routes into refrigeration, cooling and heat pump careers. New vocational pathways aligned with net zero priorities have the potential to raise the profile of the sector and support recruitment into hard-to-fill roles.

However, there is also a risk that without strong sector engagement, RACHP could be absorbed into broader construction or engineering pathways, losing visibility and specialist focus. This is a crucial moment for IOR to work with the Department for Education, awarding bodies and providers to ensure that refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps are clearly represented within future technical routes.

By contributing employer insight and labour market intelligence, IOR can help ensure that new pathways align with real skills demand and future workforce needs.

Initial teacher education: strengthening the quality of technical training

Reform of FE initial teacher education places welcome emphasis on workforce quality, dual professionalism and evidence-informed practice. For specialist technical sectors, the quality of trainers and lecturers is as important as the quality of curricula.

This presents an opportunity for IOR to play a greater role in supporting industry professionals who move into teaching and training, as well as lecturers who require continuous technical updating in fast-moving areas such as refrigerants, heat pumps and system design.

Partnerships with FE providers and teacher training organisations could strengthen the supply of highly skilled technical educators and improve the consistency and quality of RACHP training nationwide.

SEND reform and inclusive pathways

The reform of SEND provision and the emphasis on integrated post-16 pathways highlight the importance of inclusive workforce development. For a sector facing chronic skills shortages, widening participation is both a social and an economic priority.

IOR’s outreach work, STEM engagement and employer partnerships can support more inclusive recruitment into engineering careers, helping colleges and employers create supported pathways into RACHP roles and apprenticeships.

Regulation, Lifelong Learning Entitlement and lifelong upskilling

Changes to regulation for colleges delivering higher education, alongside the introduction of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, will shape how adults access modular and flexible training in future.

This has particular relevance for RACHP, where existing engineers will need regular reskilling to meet changing environmental standards and technological developments. IOR is well positioned to support lifelong learning through accredited courses, CPD frameworks and professional recognition aligned to the new funding and regulatory landscape.

Recognition and leadership in FE and skills

The recent New Year Honours rightly celebrated the impact of leaders across the FE and skills sector. This recognition reinforces the vital role that technical education plays in national productivity, net zero delivery and social mobility.

For IOR, it underlines the importance of continuing to champion the professionalism, expertise and contribution of the RACHP workforce, and of ensuring that refrigeration and heat pump engineering remains visible within national skills policy.

A critical moment for engagement

Taken together, these reforms represent one of the most significant reshaping of post-16 education in a generation. For the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sector, the stakes are high.

If engaged proactively, these reforms can:

• Strengthen technical competence and safety
• Improve recruitment and progression routes
• Support rapid upskilling for net zero technologies
• Raise the profile of RACHP as a strategic green skills sector

IOR has a central role to play as a convenor, technical authority and advocate for the sector. By shaping policy implementation now, the Institute can help ensure that future education and training reforms deliver the skilled, adaptable and future-ready workforce that our industry – and the UK’s climate ambitions – urgently require.