Job market information
Finding out about air conditioning and refrigeration
The air conditioning and refrigeration industry is part of the building services engineering sector, represented by SummitSkills Sector Skills Council, which also includes: electrotechnical; plumbing; heating and ventilating; and electrical and electronic servicing. The building services engineering sector as a whole employs over 500,000 people in over 60,000 businesses. Of these, 85% have between 1 and 5 employees, with most of the remainder employing between 6 and 250 workers. Very few have more than 250 employees. The sector has an annual turnover of around £17 billion in the UK. Building services engineering is continually adapting to meet technological challenges and plays a central role in environmental technology developments, particularly around renewable energy and micro-generation.
The heating and ventilating industry workforce install, service and maintain the systems which control air temperature and humidity from multi-screen cinemas to keeping blood at the right temperature for lifesaving operations. The industry takes its responsibilities to the environment seriously ensuring that refrigerant gasses are handled in a safe and eco-friendly manner to reduce their impact on the environment.
Key facts:
- There are around 4,500 businesses in the industry employing 23,000 people, mostly white male.
- About 65% of the workforce is in Refrigeration, 35% work in Air Conditioning.
- 90% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people.
- The number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall due to the economic climate.
Jobs in the industry include:
- Refrigeration engineers, who install, service and maintain refrigeration systems in places such as supermarkets, hospitals, food processing plants and research establishments
- Air conditioning engineers, who install, service and maintain systems and equipment which control and maintain the quality, temperature and humidity of air within modern buildings
Entry and progression
The heating and ventilation industry is a rare choice of career by those who are made redundant from engineering roles, by those changing career and by those returning to work after a break. Entrants are required to have a good level of education and will need to achieve the relevant NVQ Level 2 or Level 3 to be recognised as qualified within the industry. This will take between 2 and 4 years to complete whilst working in the industry.
There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships (such as the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Apprenticeship), vocational qualifications and training schemes.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
23,000 |
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| Number of UK employers: |
4,500 |
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| Gender: |
less than 1% of the skilled workforce is female |
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| Ethnicity |
3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background, with 1.4% from Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds |
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| Age: |
63% of the workforce is aged 35-54 years |
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Employment trends and future prospects
Due to the current economic climate, the number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall by between 18% and 42%, depending upon the depth of the recession and the speed of recovery. A proportion of these losses will be apprentices.
Technician and professional roles typically sought after by experienced people who have worked in the industry for 10-15 years are: contract or project engineer; commissioning engineer; controls engineer; service and maintenance engineer; educator or trainer; and business manager or proprietor.
Skill requirements and shortages
Key common activities involve: working safely; working in an environmentally friendly manner; undertaking preparatory work; identifying and rectifying faults; providing functional and technical information; maintaining working relationships; and overseeing work activities.
The skill needs of the industry are expected to be met by the redeployment of displaced workers. Therefore, recruitment to replace those retiring or leaving the industry is likely to be minimal in the short-term.
Occupational trends
At technician and professional levels, the workforce is likely to remain relatively stable. From 2010 onwards, there is likely to be an increase in the number of people required, thereby improving prospects for new entrants to the sector. This will particularly benefit graduates seeking to enter the industry and gain employment within consultancies.
National and regional data
East Midlands – There are 1,512 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 70.
East of England – There are 2,177 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 105.
London – There are 2,211 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 105.
North East – There are 1,169 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 55.
North West – There are 2,574 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 125.
South East – There are 3,137 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 150.
South West – There are 1,961 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 90.
West Midlands – There are 2,068 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 100.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 2,165 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 100.
Salary levels
Some suggested annual salary ranges for those working in the industry include:
- First-year apprentices start on around £10,000
- Newly-qualified workers earn between £20,000 and £27,000
- Experienced engineers earn around £30,000
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using SummitSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
