Inmaculada Peiró (Agremia): "Young talent is of the utmost importance for the air conditioning and refrigeration sector"
In the interview below, Inmaculada Peiró, the general manager of the Association of Companies in the Installations and Energy Sector (Agremia), advocates promoting the incorporation of young talent in the air-conditioning and refrigeration industry in view of the lack of generational replacement in companies. She also explains the main professional opportunities in the sector.
How important is young talent in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry?
Talent in general, but especially young talent, is of the utmost importance for the air conditioning and refrigeration sector. We are facing the biggest challenge of the last few decades, namely the lack of generational change in companies. Here at Agremia, which represents more than 2,100 installation companies, we have been warning of this serious situation for years, whilst at the same time providing solutions, as far as possible, to reverse it.
Besides other galvanising measures, we have launched initiatives to attract talent to the sector. In the so-called 'Proyecto Cantera' we have brought together all the projects and strategies that Agremia has developed and put into practice over the last decade.
One of these initiatives, gaining ground in the sector, is the new work-study contract, whereby both students and active workers combine a percentage of their time to being trained in official qualifications, which we teach at Agremia's Technical School, and another percentage to continue developing professionally in their job.
What are the specific career opportunities at present in the installations sector?
The installations sector in general has many professional opportunities, and it is one of the most secure options for new generations. For example, installation, repair and maintenance technicians for all types of installations: thermal, industrial refrigeration, gas, electrical, photovoltaic self-consumption, charging points etc.
It should be borne in mind that tackling a challenge as great as the decarbonisation of the building stock and successfully completing the energy transition requires a wide range of profiles, all of them qualified.
How can young people be encouraged to enter this sector?
In order to encourage young people to enter the sector, what matters most is for them to know about it, and for this to happen, advice at an early age is fundamental. The working conditions offered by the sector are very attractive: a collective bargaining agreement and salary conditions that are well above average, job stability, working hours that are in line with the work-life balance, continuous training etc. What’s more, working with the satisfaction of learning a trade that helps to improve the world we live in is an incentive in itself.
What new trends are likely to boost this influx of young talent into the sector?
The installation of aerothermal energy, renewable gases, hydrogen, the hybridisation of different technologies, photovoltaics, geothermal energy... There is a wide range of opportunities which I firmly believe that if known from an early age, would facilitate the employment of young people in our sector, one of the most in-demand in any sphere of the economy.
What is the role of installers and companies as advocates?
The role of installers and companies in the sector as advocates of energy change is vital and so their association with prestigious organisations such as Agremia is vital in order to be competitive.