plumber to refrigeration engineer???

[rueben2288]

hiya guys,
this is my first post on here so sorry if it is crap!!
basically im 21 and have just completed a fast track course in to plumbing (tech cert. 6129) but am finding it very difficult to get into a position at a company to further my knowledge, but a position has become available for an apprentice refrigeration engineer and i was wondering (as i know minimal about the industry) is it a good trade to get into?? do my previous qualifications count towards anything??? (other than the basic plumbing skills I have an NVQ level 2 in Land based service engineering.)
Also when i paid for my fast track course I also paid for my NVQ level 2 in plumbing and was wondering if it was possible still to achieve this in the refrigeration trade as i know it is a work based qualification??
any feedback would be great
cheers bob

[nike123]

hiya guys,
this is my first post on here so sorry if it is crap!!
basically im 21 and have just completed a fast track course in to plumbing (tech cert. 6129) but am finding it very difficult to get into a position at a company to further my knowledge, but a position has become available for an apprentice refrigeration engineer and i was wondering (as i know minimal about the industry) is it a good trade to get into?? do my previous qualifications count towards anything??? (other than the basic plumbing skills I have an NVQ level 2 in Land based service engineering.)
Also when i paid for my fast track course I also paid for my NVQ level 2 in plumbing and was wondering if it was possible still to achieve this in the refrigeration trade as i know it is a work based qualification??
any feedback would be great
cheers bob

I dont want to sound discouraging, but refrigeration industry is multidisciplinary and you need to have some decent amount of knowledge and skills also in electricity and mechanics. So your plumbing knowledge and skills are desirable but it covers only small part of required skills.
Keep that in mind.

[monkey spanners]

Hi Bob,

As Nike says there is a lot more to fridge work than it first apears, but i know an ex electrician and an ex car mechanic that have both made the transition to fridge engineer.

Its possible with the increasing popularity of air source heat pumps for domestic hot water that combining your plumbing knowledge with a thorough understanding of refrigeration would be very usefull.

If you can't get any work as a plumber, you've got nothing to lose if you are preparired to put some effort into studying.

[Gary]

Maybe this will help get you started:

http://www.refrigeration-engineer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19701

[rueben2288]

Thanks a lot for the feedback guys!!
Iv applied for the job just gotta wait and see what happens now!!
thanks again n ill hopefully be back asking loads more questions soon!!!