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Sam Gills

Sam Gills

Refrigeration Engineering Technician

Sam’s job title is Industrial Refrigeration Technician at Star Refrigeration

What I do

I service, maintain and install commercial refrigeration equipment. This can range from large industrial equipment to small air conditioning units – there’s a real variety.

Hear more about Sam's role by watching the video below...

How I became a technician

A typical day in my
working life

A surprising fact about my job

Some of the equipment I’ve worked on is huge! I’ve worked on chill stores and cool stores the size of football pitches.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

I love the variety of working on different sites with different equipment. It makes the job really interesting. We have worked on large ice rinks – we install and maintain them. That’s really interesting.

The best bits about working in a team

It is nice to work alongside other engineers who have a similar mindset. I’ve never worked alone during my apprenticeship and have built nice friendships along the way.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

Being awarded the Air Conditioning Refrigeration (ACR) Trainee of the Year award in 2017. I was also awarded Refrigeration Air Conditioning (RAC) Cooling Student of the Year and was able to compete in the WorldSkills SkillFRIDGE competition, where I won the bronze medal. I have my work, apprenticeship and training to thank for access to these sorts of opportunities.

The next steps in my career journey

I’m currently in the middle of completing my Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Building Services – I asked the company if I could study this after my apprenticeship. I’ve completed my first year and should finish next May. It’s the equivalent of Level 4, which is one stage below a degree. I then hope to progress to become a Senior Technician and potentially move on to a more senior role in design.

Sam Gills working on refrigeration equipment
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