Refrigeration Apprentice

In your daily work, you will interact with venue personnel, such as chefs, catering managers, facilities managers, managers/owners and kitchen staff. Personnel from equipment manufacturers technical support services, and equipment and spares suppliers’ sales and technical staff. You may also liaise with Environmental Health Officers and other trades personnel, such as builders, electricians etc. Internally, you will interact with company management, office staff and other technicians.

Installations involve unpacking and in some cases assembling equipment, connecting in accordance with the equipment manufacturer’s instructions to suitable services (gas, electricity, water and drainage) and commissioning. Where an installation involves the removal of equipment, engineers disconnect the redundant item, remove it to a safe area for disposal and make safe any services no longer required. On maintenance visits, engineers visually inspect the equipment, check the services for any problems, carry out maintenance tasks as specified by the manufacturer, and test the equipment is functioning as designed. On repair visits, engineers establish the problem from the customer, check the faulty item to confirm the problem, diagnose the fault, adjust or repair or replace faulty components, and test the equipment after repair to ensure that it is working correctly. Engineers are qualified and registered with F-gas for the types of appliances they are working on and retain their competency.

Once qualified you will be responsible for planning your schedule and logistics to meet customers’ requirements and location. Reporting to the correct person in the customer’s premises and agreeing the purpose of their visit and managing customer expectations. At all times, presenting a professional image of the company. Engineers largely work on their own and unsupervised – self-managing, however occasionally on maintenance visits to larger kitchens, you may work alongside other Engineers or a Supervisor. You must ensure the quality and accuracy of work carried out, ensuring the health, safety and welfare of self and others - working in line with legislation. You will have the authority to determine action, including the disconnection or isolation of equipment. You will be responsible for ensuring that your tools and equipment are fit for purpose and that your work vehicle is roadworthy. You will also be responsible for maintaining a stock of spares to an agreed level.

Training:

What attendance is required?

A thirty six month apprenticeship programme delivered on a day-release basis (one day per week) at City of Portsmouth College's North Harbour Campus in North Harbour, Portsmouth.

Following successful completion of the course and End Point Assessment you will achieve the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician (Level 3) apprenticeship standard which includes a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in either Refrigeration or Air Conditioning, a level 3 Diploma in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and an F-Gas Handling Fluorinated Gases and Ozone-Depleting Substances Category 1 certificate.

Training Outcome:

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, and subject to progress as an employee, the job role could lead onto a Refrigeration Engineer post. The company is growing rapidly and therefore, supervisory roles will be available in the future for the right candidate.

Employer Description:
Aperion Catering are a family run team of commercial catering engineers and equipment installers based in Ringwood, serving Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton, Eastleigh, Portsmouth, Weymouth, Basingstoke, Guildford, Salisbury, Reading, Dorchester, Chichester and surrounding areas. Our team of experienced professionals are fully qualified and complete any job with care and efficiency. Our team comprises of six office staff and eight engineers reporting to our two Managing Directors. We pride ourselves in being a close knit team who work together cohesively and support each other as we grow rapidly as a business. Our aim is to do the simple things well. We have recently completed a project with AFC Bournemouth to complete their new training ground facility. We worked with this project end to end starting with design and completing the installation. We work with many high profile local customers.

Working Hours :
Monday-Friday, 40 hours a week with a paid 30 minute lunch. Company operating hours are 7am-5pm, company happy for flexible hours in those core times

Skills:
Attention to detail,Organisation skills,Problem solving skills,Team working,Creative,Initiative,Patience