Kenya: GIZ handed over the reviewed RAC

GIZ handed over a reviewed refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC).  It now includes Green Cooling technologies.

A future-friendly transformation of the RAC sector requires well-trained technicians who know how to handle Green Cooling technologies. The concept of Green Cooling describes the use of natural refrigerants like hydrocarbons (e.g., propane and isobutane), ammonia and CO2 in combination with highly energy-efficient appliances, ideally powered by renewable energy sources.

The Green Cooling Initiative (GCI in short, part of the GIZ programme Proklima) has been collaborating with the GIZ Youth Employment and Vocational Training Programme in reviewing the Kenyan RAC curricula. The objective was to best integrate Green Cooling into the existing curricula and improve the employability of the graduates from the training institutions.

The Green Cooling Initiative is funded by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU); the Youth Employment and Vocational Training Programme by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

On 2nd March 2022, GIZ handed over the reviewed RAC curriculum that now includes specific safety measures for hydrocarbons to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (TVET-CDACC). TVET-CDACC is one of the national curricula developing bodies in Kenya. Present were the CEO TVET-CDACC, Dr Lawrence Guantai, the Director Technical Services, Mr Gichuhi Ndegwa, the Curriculum Development Officer, Mr Silas Peter Khasindu, and the GIZ colleagues Emmanuel Choge and Josphine Mutero.

The reviewed curriculum is a great achievement on the way to establish a national qualification, certification and registration scheme (QCR) for RAC technicians in Kenya. GIZ Proklima, with its “Fit for Green Cooling” approach, supports partner countries in every step of the way to tailor the QCR scheme to suit specific national needs and circumstances.