Driving innovation and growth through apprenticeship training

Refrigeration and air conditioning apprentice Cody Smith loves nothing more than fixing stuff.

“Taking stuff apart, seeing why it failed, and figuring out what you can do to prevent it breaking again, is one of the best parts of my job,” says the 19 year old McAlpine Hussmann employee.

The refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector in New Zealand is rapidly expanding, offering dynamic career opportunities, including apprenticeships like Cody’s through work-based training organisation, Competenz.

With increasing demand for energy-efficient cooling solutions in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, the need for skilled RAC talent has never been higher. As New Zealand pushes towards sustainability goals, including carbon reduction and green building standards, modern RAC systems are at the forefront of innovation in climate control technology. RAC training equips workers with high-demand technical skills, opening doors to job security and an exciting career pathway.

Now in his third year of the apprenticeship, Cody said he fell into his role.

“I didn’t really know anything about the industry. When I was researching trades at school it wasn’t something I stumbled across, but we had a family friend in the sector and my parents suggested I check it out,” says Cody.

He approached Mt Wellington-based McAlpine Hussmann for some work experience and after two weeks he was hooked.

“I really enjoy being on the tools, and being out on the road fixing stuff. I especially love working on rack systems in the supermarkets which involves lots of hands-on mechanical work.”

He’s pretty good at it too, which is one of the reasons McAlpine Hussmann Northern Regional Manager Matt Gray snapped him up so quickly.

“If someone shows promise we don’t want to lose the opportunity. People like Cody with a mechanical hands-on skill set are a natural fit. If they’re into cars, can use a drill, know about sockets, and love pulling things apart and putting them back together, they’re usually the people we’re looking for.”

Matt says while technology is rapidly evolving in the industry, it’s still those with a practical hand that are driving the innovation.

“The younger generation are a lot more technology based – kids are sitting inside gaming instead of out in the garage tinkering with their cars, so it’s becoming more challenging to get people into the field. Yes RAC involves a lot of technology, but there’s still welding and brazing and pulling things apart.

“Demand for RAC services is booming and we hope to build our capability to take on even more apprentices. We recruit two or three apprentices in each year group,” explains Matt, who is also a qualified Competenz assessor.

Currently with 12 Competenz apprentices in the Mt Wellington business – and 45 across the company nationwide – McAlpine Hussmann sits at the vanguard of this dynamic and rapidly evolving field.

As a teen, Matt always dreamed of becoming a race car driver or mechanic, but after a reality check from his dad, he entered the RAC sector instead. Now, nearly two decades on, Matt is helping shape the next generation of industry professionals.

“One of the things I love about our trade is that it pretty much touches on every other trade. If you’re a builder you just do building, if you’re an electrician you just do electrical work, but with RAC you do a bit of everything, from plumbing, electrics, and hands-on mechanical work, through to refrigeration and air conditioning. It’s really rewarding always having something different to be involved in,” he says.

The opportunities and pathways are as varied as the work itself. Since completing his apprenticeship 15-plus years ago Matt has climbed the career ladder, being snapped up for project manager, service supervisor and regional manager roles.

“Others have become service and branch managers, design engineers, estimators, commissioning engineers. There’s a huge range of opportunities in RAC. In fact, most of our senior management team started as apprentices, and now they’re leading the business. It’s exciting to see you can do that.”

Upskilling staff through apprenticeships helps keep McAlpine Hussmann at the forefront of industry developments, fostering a culture of innovation, and enhancing business performance.

“Apprenticeships have become a crucial part of our business. We try to self-deliver and make sure we give customers the best experience by not relying too much on subcontractors to support us. Although it takes involvement and investment from our side, having apprentices gives us more control on the end product and customer experience. Without them, I think we’d have a lot more grey hair!

“This industry is very small and tightknit but the reliance on RAC is growing rapidly. Everyone wants their produce kept cool and fresh, no-one wants to work in a non-airconditioned office! We need to train more people up to ensure we have the future technicians to continue to meet our customers’ demands and needs.”

The industry has advanced significantly since Matt first started out, with sustainable practices at the forefront. The sector’s role in addressing climate change and energy challenges makes it an exciting and impactful industry to be a part of.

“The biggest change has been refrigerants. We previously used HFC (hydrofluorocarbons), but that’s bad for the ozone so now we’re moving to more natural refrigerants.”

McAlpine Hussmann has led the way in the shift to carbon dioxide refrigerants and is just about to finish installation of its 100th CO2 rack in a supermarket.

“That’s a big milestone, and massive for New Zealand. We also now use a lot of hydrocarbon refrigerants, but that technology brings challenges because of the risk. Compressor technology has also come along way, with inverter compressors providing the capability to ramp up and down as required in order to cope with demand.”

It’s all exciting stuff for young apprentices like Cody who is looking to the future with enthusiasm and anticipation.

“The future in this industry feels bright and secure,” he says. “It’s a trade that’s here to stay, and I’m stoked to be a part of it.”

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