Towards green skills: Environment-friendly and safety practices, supply and demand gap in the refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing sector- case of Bangladesh

Qualified servicing and manufacturing technicians for Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (RAC) equipment are in high demand due to socio-economic development, rising global temperatures, and the increasing integration of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and green awareness. The study aims to investigate the skills gap between occupational competencies (qualifications) required for today's RAC servicing technicians and the existing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curricula in Bangladesh. It also examines how environment-friendly (Green) and safety practices are in the RAC servicing sector. In this study, a mixed-methods, both qualitative and quantitative, research approach was used. Field-level primary data was collected through a survey questionnaire, observation and key informants' interviews (KIIs), and the supply-side data was gathered by desk study. The desk study includes the following documents: curriculum materials/documents such as industry competency standards, syllabi, green policies and guidelines related to the environment and SDG(s), etc. A total of 52 RAC servicing technicians from 52 servicing centres in the formal and informal sectors were visited to collect field-level data. It was found that there are discrepancies between the skills taught in the curriculum and the essential skills required in the field. Additionally, the Basic Trade course curriculum significantly matches the occupational competencies of an RAC servicing technician. National Skills Certificates at BNQF Level 1 to 4 curricula focus more on practical skills and developing self/human and social competencies. Besides, a Diploma in Engineering (BNQF Level 6) specialization in the RAC curriculum focuses sufficiently on theoretical knowledge (high cognitive abilities) in all occupational dimensions but lacks practical skills. In the case of RAC servicing sectors, environmentally friendly (Green) and safety practices are relatively well maintained in formal RAC servicing centres compared to informal RAC servicing centres. This study's findings will contribute in reducing the skills gap, e.g., policymakers and educators could take corrective action, like updating the RAC curricula with workplace-relevant content, so that TVET curricula adequately prepare graduates for Bangladesh's RAC servicing sector.