The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) and the African Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Cold Chain (ACES) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen collaboration and promote the exchange of ideas and expertise during the Clean Cooling Network Conference on the Sustainable Cold Chain for the Global South, taking place at the University of Birmingham from 28–29 October 2029.

As part of this agreement, technicians who undergo the Clean Cooling Academy training in Rwanda and India will be supported by the ACES to become members of the Institute of Refrigeration and gain access to the huge range of training and technical resources available to members. This represents a significant advancement in embedding professional and educational continuing professional development within the training of technicians graduating from the Academy’s programmes, encompassing key competencies such as refrigerant handling, safety, brazing, and cold chain operation. Additionally, the IOR will be encouraging links between UK companies and the Academy to develop internship exchanges – potentially bringing technicians from Rwanda to spend time in UK businesses and organising UK expert visits to the Academy and local businesses.

 

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