The following stories from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana and Brazil are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."
GORDON TICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
I was born in Banja Luka on March 31, 1964, where I completed elementary school and high school. I entered the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Thermotechnics and Motorization in 19n3. I graduated in April 1989.
In November 1992, I was employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Banja Luka as an assistant in “Thermal devices» and “Turbo and piston machines.” I completed my Master’s degree in 2002, also at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Banja Luka. I defended my Master’s thesis entitled “Possibilities of using geothermal energy of the northern part of the Republic of Srpska for the production of electricity”, in April 2002. After that, I was selected as a senior assistant working in “Pumps and fans”, “Heat turbo machines” and “Cooling devices.”
I completed my doctoral studies in 2010 at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Banja Luka and on 19 March 2010 I defended my doctoral thesis entitled “Contribution to the study of the interaction between the cooled object and its surroundings.”
After that, I was given the title of Assistant Professor and my teaching included lectures on the Refrigeration plant (first-year students), exercises on Pumps and fans, also on Heat turbo machines (first-year students) and giving one part of the lecture on Renewable Heat Sources (second-year students). My research areas in the period after my last election have been renewable energy sources, cooling and air conditioning, and energy efficiency and ecology.
In the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Banja Luka, I have held the following teaching and scientific titles: Assistant, 1 November 1992 – 4 October 2002; Senior Assistant, 4 October 2002 – 28 December 2010; Assistant Professor, 28 December 2010; and Associate professor, 12 December 2015 to date.
“My research areas have been renewable energy sources, cooling
and air conditioning, and energy efficiency and ecology.”
I am a member of several scientific and professional organizations and associations: Member of the Federation of Energy Sector of the Republic of Srpska; Member of the Banja Luka City Council for Climate Change (expert appointed by the Banja Luka City Assembly); and Member of the Energy Efficiency Committee established by the City Administration and Towns of the Republic of Srpska.
In working with international instances and institutions, I work with contractors including Bosnia and Herzegovina’s local UNDP consultants and experts in the areas of renewable energy sources, heating and cooling, and F-gases in the weld of work and refrigerant research and their impact on the environment, also with the expert for Refrigeration & Air conditioning, and engineers and architects for Europe and Central Asia (ECA).
DINEO MABHEKEDE, BOTSWANA
My plan was to train as a doctor or nurse but things did not turn out as I intended. My uncle, who is a plumber by profession, encouraged me to take up the refrigeration and air-conditioning trade. I then started my four-year training/apprenticeship with Gaborone Technical College from 1995 to 1999. I wanted to inspire other women to take up a trade believed to be male-dominated, help my country to do its best in food preservation, well-being and nutrition and also challenge myself to prove that women too can embrace and deliver any assignment that they are given.
My training was filled with excitement: the first years were hard, but as time went on it got better and more exciting as I got used to it. At times we had to be released for industrial block attachment to gain practical exposure. The hardest part was having to secure a sponsorship for yourself to get absorbed in the system – having to prove to the management that you could deliver and share your experience – and the fact that the management was male-dominated and not used to working with women. They are afraid to hire you; also, as a woman you have to bear children and then who’s going to take care of the operation/production while you’re away on maternity leave?
"I wanted to inspire other women to take up a trade believed to be male-dominated,
help my country to do its best in food preservation, well-being and nutrition.”
I and two male counterparts submitted letters requesting sponsorship from a parastatal in my country. They got a yes, and I got a no, the reason being that the organization was only sponsoring core business-related. My counterparts were diesel mechanics and afterwards they would be absorbed as engine mechanics or locomotive mechanics. My weld was classified as secondary. Being very determined and committed, I queried the response, obviously through a reasoned reply with the argument that, since they were a commercial enterprise, nowadays customers needed to travel in comfort. Sponsorship was offered until I finished my apprenticeship.
In 1999 I qualified as a refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic with the rail industry, responsible for comfort cooling of blue trains and for office/domestic refrigeration. In 2003 I joined the mining sector, also as a refrigeration mechanic, until in 2006 management saw my commitment and I was promoted to the rank of trainer and senior refrigeration and air-conditioning technician because I double as a mechanic. I also sit on the trade advisory team, advising management on development of new gases, for example, as well as implementation of the Montreal Protocol, related courses and development of RAC-related training matrices. In addition, I mentor and train apprentices, also working hand in hand with the Department of Tertiary Education to establish standards through BQA (Botswana Qualifications Authority) and the BOTA (Botswana Training Authority) meteorology section (ozone office) to sensitize technicians and contractors to use, safe handling and recovery of CFC gases and draw attention to and update them on the latest developments relating to the refrigeration weld, such as expos and training on handling new gases.
I’m thankful to the Government of Botswana for making available the platform for equal opportunity, and I’m also thankful to Botswana Railways for sponsoring my training and making me a seasoned refrigeration and air-conditioning technician, and of course to my former lecturers for their encouragement and a former employee of the Debswana Diamond Company for developing into a trainer (assessor).
CARMOSINDA RODRIGUES ALFALFA DOS SANTOS, BRAZIL
Since I was a teenager, I have been interested in mechanical equipment and electrical and civil engineering. At the beginning of my professional life, I worked as a marketer, mason’s assistant, salesperson, errand clerk, and administrative assistant.
When I was 22 years old, on 2 April 2007, I started working as an administrative assistant at Automoção Analítica (today named Superlab), a company selling chemical and physical analysis instruments.
One instrument, in particular, caught my attention: the climatic chamber (made by Vötsch). I became really interested in how that equipment works. When I was looking into this for more information, I was introduced to refrigeration, which to me was only about the refrigerator that I have at home. Through a co-worker who was a maintenance service technician for these chambers, I found a technical course at the National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) in São Paulo.
When I was 24 years old, I passed the SENAI selection process and I started a technical course in refrigeration and air conditioning; I fell in love with it. Because the course was in the afternoon from 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m., I had to choose between my job as an administrative assistant and the course. I dedicated myself to the course. I tried to support myself financially; then, with a classmate from the course, I started to perform maintenance on split-type units and refrigerators. This way, I supported myself financially during my studies, and in July 2011, I graduated as a refrigeration and air conditioning technician.
“I always made sure the work is done meticulously. Over time,
I became known in the market and today I am more respected.”
At the same time, the company Carrier do Brasil launched a selection process for a project called Técnico Trainee. I applied. There were four openings and some 500 applicants, and I was hired by Carrier do Brasil on 15 August 2011, becoming the first woman trainee technician at Carrier do Brasil. The Técnico Trainee project was 18 months long, and it involved job rotation in after-sales and the division of liquid coolers (BSS). After the 18 months, there would be another test for trainees.
During my period as a trainee, I worked in after-sales for 12 months. I was the first woman after-sales refrigeration technician at Carrier do Brasil. I used to assist in the accreditation of authorized networks and in the process of guaranteeing humidifiers, ice machines, split-type units, self-contained air conditioning units, fan coils, and chillers. In the last six months of the project, I worked in the BSS division: three months doing administrative activities and three months accompanying service technicians in the weld. At the end of the trainee project, on 1 February 2013, I became the first female technician in the BSS weld division, and I started working with liquid chillers.
I received a vehicle and tools, and then I started my activities as a technician, always travelling to the client’s location to do preventive and corrective work and to perform care and start-up maintenance involving chillers, alternatives, scroll technology, screws, centrifugation, and absorption. I worked as a weld technician at Carrier do Brasil until 12 May 2017. On 15 May 2017, I became the first female technician in Latin America at Vertiv (formerly Emerson Liebert) working only with precision air conditioners and performing preventive, corrective, care, and start-up work involving self-contained air-conditioning units, fan coils, and chillers, (AFC and EFC screws and scrolls).
Then, Equinix, the largest data centre provider (international business exchanges QIBXR locations), invited me to be part of the BX SP4 technician team in São Paulo. Nowadays, the international business exchange SP4 from Equinix houses the most important point of NAP Internet traffic exchange in Latin America. I accepted the challenge and on 2 April 2018, I became the first female refrigeration technician at Equinix. I received an amazing gift. I participated in the start-up of the first precision chiller, with free cooling technology, installed in the Americas (model AFC/manufacturer Vertiv). Today at Equinix, I work on the conservation of IBX air conditioning. In the structure we have 50 precision fan coils, seven Carrier chillers (300 TR each), three precision Vertiv chillers (350 TR each), plus split-type units and self-contained air-conditioning units, used for office comfort, refrigerators, and water fountains.
In my career, I have faced numerous challenges. I will try to name a few. During the SENAI test, the other candidates looked at me crossly because I was the only woman. On the first day of school, once again, I was the only woman in my class. During the selection process at Carrier, some competitors looked at me with contempt. At first, as Carrier’s technique was very difficult, in addition to the mean jokes I heard daily from some colleagues and clients, there were also inappropriate jokes. I always made sure the work is done meticulously. Over time, I became known in the market and today I am more respected. There are still some jokes, but they are isolated; the situation is nothing at all like it was in the beginning. On my own, I carried out a survey of the refrigeration market in Latin America. I did not find any other woman in the weld like me. Maybe I’m the first Latin American technician to work with chiller alternatives, scrolls, bolts, centrifuge, and absorption, and with precision air conditioners (self-contained units, fan coils, and chillers) – am I?
NATALIA DANTAS BORGES, BRAZIL
I have worked in the refrigeration sector since 2016. I assist in the purchasing sector and in corrective maintenance. I have a mechanical and electronic technician’s degree, which helps me a lot in the profession. I have also taken a basic refrigeration course, and in the future, I intend to improve further, learning about chillers and variable refrigerant yow (VRF), in order to be an excellent professional in the refrigeration sector.
“I intend to improve further, learning about chillers and variable refrigerant flow
(VRF), in order to be an excellent professional in the refrigeration sector.”
GABRIELA GIACOMINI, BRAZIL
My history with refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) actually started unintentionally. In 2014, I was hired as an intern at my workplace, but I didn’t know the job was related to air conditioning because the company that owns WebArCondicionado is a big data enterprise (WebGlobal Ltda) which uses technology to develop an air conditioning price-comparison system.
When I realized that my job would basically be to write about air conditioning and everything that involves air conditioning, I confess that I was scared because I had never imagined that I would work with this, and my knowledge in the area was null. However, I viewed this as a challenge to be overcome, and gradually I became familiar with the industry. I write blog posts on topics ranging from news about the air conditioning sector to technical information aimed at consumers and professionals in the area, at different levels.
I have to admit that there have been times when some difficulties have grown, and this happens to this day. But with each passing day, I derive increased satisfaction from my work. I say this for two main reasons. One is that the audience for whom I write and with whom I interact is predominantly male, and because of this, I have already witnessed many sexist situations, where women are disparaged and given little space in our industry. This requires me to have a lot of patience, persistence, and love for what I do. Obstacles like these are the things that motivate me to move forward and to give voice to women in our industry, because I see myself as an influencer.
“My concern is about more than just obtaining information; it is about having
an impact on our readers and followers, disseminating knowledge concerning our sector, and,
whenever possible, promoting women’s work and showing how capable we are.”
Another challenge I encounter daily, as a journalist, is the need to reinvent myself as a person who generates content. I have spent more than four years writing about the same subject, so there is a need to always be up to date and sharing information with the public in the best way. I must also say that, although these difficulties exist, I take immense pride in what I have built over the years and will continue to build. The WebArCondicionado portal today has an average of 1 million visits per month and 80 per cent of this traffic comes from the blog. It is lovely work and it took a lot of effort to get here; we celebrated our 10-year anniversary in 201n. In the meantime, I graduated with a degree in journalism – I have a degree in languages as well – and this has made me evolve a lot as a person and as a professional.
My concern is about more than just obtaining information; it is about having an impact on our readers and followers, disseminating knowledge concerning our sector, and, whenever possible, promoting women’s work and showing how capable we are. By the way, we published a post about this initiative on our blog, and we helped many of our readers in sending this form to tell their stories. You can read about it by clicking on this link:http://www.webarcondicionado.com.br/onu-convida-mulheres-do-setor-de-hvac-para-contar-sua-historia
I also wrote a special post for Women’s Day this year, showcasing some of the women in our industry. It’s all available here: http://www.webarcondicionado.com.br/hvac-empoderado-quem-sao-as-mulheres-do setor-de-climatizacao (Unfortunately, the blog is only in Portuguese, but who knows if that might change in the future?).
Finally, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in an initiative like this, and I am ready to continue strengthening our industry, especially when it comes to women’s participation in our sector.
JOSSINEIDE OLIVEIRA E SILVA, BRAZIL
Twenty-five years in a nutshell
Jossineide: The challenge of being a refrigeration technician in the Amazon, in the heart of Brazil
When we are facing a challenge, we have two alternatives: stop and spend our whole life at the same point; or overcome the challenge, move on, and maybe become an inspiration for others. This is what happened when I was 14 years old and it was time to take the traditional sewing course, as my parents recommended. As there were no vacancies left anymore, the challenge had begun. I had to decide between coming back home and choosing the technical course in refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) at the National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) in Pôrto Velho, in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. I decided to go ahead with the technical course.
Everything about this course was new to me. The classroom was full, and I was the only woman. There were sexist jokes, which everybody laughed at, without realizing my presence. There was a lack of trust from my teachers and colleagues. I had to work very hard to complete this course, and so I decided to study harder. I searched for unpaid volunteer jobs so I could practice what I had learned. This way, I claimed my space and I stood out at the RAC mechanic course.
As a result of my efforts, my teacher at the time chose me to participate in the Professional Training Tournament in 1996, in Brasília. The tournament was an exciting high-level national competition between refrigeration and air conditioning technicians from all the technical schools in the country. I competed against male students from several Brazilian metropolises, and I won third place!
“Today, when I come into a classroom to teach RAC systems courses,
I don’t see only people, men and women, wanting to learn; I see professionals
capable of changing the world.”
I was very grateful for this result because my professional education had taken place in the middle of the Amazon, where technology is always behind the technology in southern Brazilian cities. This achievement opened doors for me. Then, I was offered the opportunity to work as an instructor for a RAC mechanic course at the SENAI-Pôrto Velho school. Despite my qualifications being the same as those of a male instructor, I was hired only as an assistant. Even though I had to replace the teachers often, I was paid less, as happens to a lot of women in other professions in Brazil and in the rest of the world.
When I was 18 years old and discontented with being constantly undervalued, I followed the advice of a former SENAI director and went to Minas Gerais to take a more complete RAC technologist course. The course was three years long and included installation and project knowledge. This course allowed me to be recognized and registered by the Engineering Council so that I could work in this weld. Around this time, I got married and started a family. I have three kids, who are by my side to this day.
After this, I came back to my state, Rondônia, to teach at SENAI, but now as an official instructor. I taught the RAC mechanic course, but I was earning about one-third of a male instructor’s salary. I took the job wondering whether I could change that situation. I complained about the injustice and because of this, I ended up being terminated.
As soon as I left SENAI, I was invited to work in the technical assistance area of a RAC company in my city, the Polo Frio Comercio e Serviço. Even though the company owner was aware of my skills, I had to go through the same lack of trust I had experienced before. The company owner sent me to carry out difficult work assignments for clients, to test me. One month later, he recognized that I could not only do a good job but that I also had the ability to train teams. He promoted me and made me responsible for standardizing and managing all the services that the company was providing.
After that, I decided to work with industrial refrigeration systems. I became a partner at Vento Sul Soluções Térmicas Ltda. At this company, we combined our dream to work with both variant refrigerant yow (VRF) and industrial chiller climatization systems. Today, 50% of the VRF systems installed in the state of Rondônia are made by our company, Vento Sul.
In 2016, I was still working at my company. I also came back to work at SENAI, where I restructured the RAC mechanic courses at the institution in the state of Rondônia. Also, I established SENAI’s participation in the HCFC phase-out management plan (HPMP)/German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) project, so the school could administer the best refrigeration practice training courses.
With my story, I hope to encourage any person who has an interest in this profession to overcome limitations, whether they are geographical, intellectual, physical, racial, related to social status, or of any other nature. Many times, I have wanted to quit my profession and only take care of my family. When I was growing up, this is what my family culture had taught me was my “obligation”. When I look back at the beginning of everything, 25 years ago, I see how perseverance was important. How important it was to be dedicated and to experience the obstacles of my professional life, even the obstacles of bullying and sexual harassment.
I am also sure that I will overcome all future obstacles. This is how it happens when we actually know who we were, who we are, and who we want to be in the future. I affirm this: challenges will not stop arising; a lot of them still crop up today. In the training classrooms, for example, the technicians always ask strange questions and make jokes until I earn their trust. This happens when they realize that I am an expert in RAC systems. Unfortunately, we still live in a prejudiced society in which people judge other people by the way they look.
Today, when I come into a classroom to teach RAC systems courses, I don’t see only people, men and women, wanting to learn; I see professionals capable of changing the world, adding value to their lives by overcoming difficulties and through determination and social and environmental awareness. This is my legacy. This is my work.
LEYLLA CHRISTIAN LISBOA SILVA, BRAZIL
My professional career started in 2006, when I moved from my hometown of 4,000 inhabitants to go to college and look for a job in Belo Horizonte. Arriving there, I got a job in a construction company, where I worked for a number of years to raise money to pay for my administration course. The electrical and refrigeration industry has always interested me, even though it is a predominantly male market, so I joined my brother in 2015 and started a small air conditioning and electrical repair company based at our house. During this time, I tried to do courses on refrigeration and electrical construction. Even though the company was small, I always tried to serve my clients in the best possible way and to upgrade my skills to better understand the market. We had few clients and went through difficult times; I faced a lot of prejudice, but I could always count on the support of my brother and partner.
At first, venturing into the refrigeration market seemed unreal. When I finished the qualification courses, I felt more confident talking and asking about the weld, I learned all about what I was selling, and I started to perform services. With that, we gained credibility in the market and recognition among professionals in the weld. Slowly, the company was growing and we moved to a head office. We specialized in the installation and maintenance of air conditioning. However, I felt that I needed to take another step. I started a course in mechanical engineering and, once again, I faced an environment where women do not have a place. But this time, I already knew how we can and should occupy spaces that are still predominantly masculine.
“What makes me even happier is breaking down the barriers of a
male market and earning the respect and confidence of the people who work with me."
Today, just over three years after our founding and with a portfolio of 900 loyal customers, we are a recognized company in the refrigeration market and we have a team of nine people. Good customer service has always been my priority, and I always want to hear the opinion of my clients: “End-to-end service, technically qualified, far exceeded initial expectations for the maintenance and installation of air conditioning; I recommend!” says Julio Cesar, client, professor, and holder of a master’s degree in administration. I try to tell my story to everyone who lives with me as a way of encouraging people never to give up their dreams and, especially, never to give up their studies. Access to higher education was essential to my professional career; it opened doors for me and gave me knowledge which not only qualifies me professionally but also makes me a better person.
What makes me even happier is breaking down the barriers of a male market and earning the respect and confidence of the people who work with me. I thank all the people who participated in my journey.
