Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) President Lisa-Jayne Cook has underlined the Institute’s commitment to placing members and skills at the forefront of its agenda.
Speaking at the Institute’s Annual Dinner, Lisa-Jayne announced the launch of the IOR Industry Skills Alliance, a new, ‘practical and collaborative forum’ designed to bring employers, educators, trainers and other stakeholders together to share insight and ensure training provision is aligned with real industry needs. She said:
The RACHP sector is changing faster than at any point in its history. Embracing net zero; climate adaptation; digitalisation; new refrigerants; new technologies; and, crucially, new people. And one message has come through loud and clear from our members: education and skills matter but they have to be the right skills, for the right jobs, at the right time. That is why Education and Skills remains our number one strategic priority. It’s not a slogan. It’s a responsibility.”
She added that the aim of the Skills Alliance would be ‘genuinely preparing people for the jobs that exist, and the ones that are coming’:
It reflects how we believe progress happens, not in silos, but through collaboration, openness, and a shared commitment to raising standards across the sector.”
However, she noted that it required the industry to embrace the change and collaborate: “Skills don’t fix themselves. They improve when we come together, share insight, and take collective responsibility for shaping the future.”
The Skills Alliance’s first meeting is expected to take place in March 2026 with an in-person event hosted by the IOR. The Alliance will organise quarterly meetings, alternating between strategic discussions, working groups, and networking sessions.
The IOR is inviting employers, apprenticeship and training providers, awarding bodies and careers professionals who want to help advance skills, education, and career development across the sector to join the alliance by filling in the response form.
Early discussions within the Alliance will explore topics identified from the recent IOR survey on skills for the future – such as apprenticeship quality, skills shortages, recruiting and developing trainers and career pathways, with the aim of co-developing solutions, sharing best practice, and coordinating national initiatives.
Lisa-Jayne noted that in the year since the last Annual Dinner, the Institute has welcomed 86 new members and seen 148 new students and apprentices registered through colleges. In addition, its webinars and events, including Adaptation, a new climate adaptation conference, had been viewed by 4,200 people and its regional networking dinners had seen more than 1,000.
