Fredericia Maskinmesterskole is one of six specialized schools currently offering the programme of Bachelor in Technology Management and Maritime Engineering in Denmark. The four-and-a-half-year programme provides the students with a broad spectrum of technical insights and prepares them to work in the areas of optimization, operation, maintenance and development within technology or production. Students can choose from many different industries both on land and at sea, nationally and internationally. Statistically seen, only few of them will choose the industry of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps, although Denmark is a pioneering country in this field and has a lot to offer its students.
Jesper Johansen, Technical Sales Engineer at BITZER Nordic, visits different schools to talk about his field of work. He starts his presentations by going over the main component of a refrigeration system, followed by him asking questions. Each correct answer is rewarded with a BITZER crocodile. Soon the crocodiles are flying around, and the class is actively listening. Claus Pedersen, who is Associate Professor at Fredericia Maskinmesterskole, was very happy to have Jesper presenting for his class: ‘It is good to have someone else than me talking about refrigeration. What I especially liked about Jesper’s visit was that he did not make a classic product presentation. His focus was on refrigeration and he mentioned some real-life examples and valuable insights from the market.’
As the crocodiles fly through the air, knowledge about refrigeration is refreshed and Jesper goes on with dimensioning and how much can be done to optimize a refrigeration system, improve energy optimization and lower the GWP/CO2 footprint. Although Jesper does mention the different BITZER products, the focus is on promoting the industry as an attractive career choice. ‘It is a sector where the individual actor gets great opportunities to improve and optimize actual systems in order to enable energy savings and protect our planet,’ he explains. In his presentation, Jesper takes time to highlight these aspects pointing out that the need for a qualified workforce in the HVACR sector is increasing and that, at the same time, the interest for working in refrigeration is decreasing.
When Jesper mentioned the job opportunities, the class in Frederica got very quiet. They were all listening, thinking about refrigeration not only as a school project but also as a potential career option. One of the students, Steffen Nielsen, said that Jesper had opened his eyes to the many options offered refrigeration industry. Another student, Peter Strauss, mentioned that this is an industry that was not on his radar before, but now sees as an option.
