Female RAC professionals take on Italy

Participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, the Maldives, Mongolia, and Nepal took part in the five-day program, which focuses on RAC best practices, safe handling of fluorinated gases, and the transition to low‑GWP natural refrigerants.

The International Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme for RAC Certification Trainers and Assessors is organised by UNEP OzonAction under the Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) and hosted by the Italian Association of Refrigeration Technicians (ATF).

UNEP OzonAction’s goal with the program is to address capacity gaps in developing countries by delivering training and implementing competency‑based certification systems. It also addresses the Multilateral Fund’s gender mainstreaming policy by strengthening the technical and teaching capacities of women professionals in a sector where female participation remains limited.

The curriculum combined theoretical learning with practical sessions. Key topics that were covered include:

• Certification systems and assessment methods
• Environmental and safety aspects of refrigerants
• Energy‑efficient technologies
• Installation and piping best practices
• Leak prevention
• Pressure testing
• Evacuation
• Charging
• System performance monitoring.

Participants also got to learn about practical tasks such as brazing and recovery, vacuuming and recharging refrigeration equipment.

Part of the program also involved discussions on gender equality and women’s roles in the RAC sector. This allowed the women to compare experiences from different countries and highlighted potential solutions.

By the end of the sessions, ten of the participants successfully passed the EU F‑Gas Certification examination. This is a mandatory qualification in the European Union for professionals handling fluorinated greenhouse gases in refrigeration and air‑conditioning servicing activities.

UNEP OzonAction says each participant has also enhanced their ability to deliver national‑level training, support competency‑based certification frameworks, and promote safe, climate‑friendly RAC servicing practices in their home countries.

“They are expected to play a key role in building local training capacity, supporting the implementation of HCFC phase‑out and HFC phase‑down activities, and advancing women’s leadership in the RAC sector across the South Asia network,” says the organisation.

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