Ozone Day Scholarships: Twelve Students, One Timely Skills Gap 

Twelve students across three districts have received scholarships to train as refrigeration and air conditioning technicians. It is part of Belize’s push to phase out ozone-damaging chemicals.

The Department of the Environment (DOE), through its National Ozone Unit, handed out the awards Tuesday. Recipients are enrolled at ITVET campuses in Belize City, Orange Walk and Stann Creek, with each scholarship covering a full academic year, tuition, a toolbox of servicing equipment and personal protective gear.

Three of the twelve recipients are women, in a trade the department says remains heavily male-dominated.

But why is DOE nvesting in refrigeration technicians? 

That’s because September 16 marks the anniversary of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, the international treaty phasing out chemicals that damage the ozone layer. This year’s global theme, “Global Action for a Cooler Planet,” which recognises a decade of the Kigali Amendment’s push toward sustainable cooling.

Refrigeration technicians sit at the centre of that effort. Handling the gases used in cooling systems safely, and eventually replacing them with newer, low-emission alternatives, is central to Belize meeting its obligations under the protocol.

“These twelve students represent an investment in the future of Belize’s cooling sector,” said Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai. “By providing training and tools now, we are building a profession that protects both people and the environment.”

The scholarship programme is funded through Belize’s HCFC Phase-out Management Plan, with support from the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.