New steps to protect ozone layer |23 September 2008

This comes after the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT) last week received from the Department of Environment a batch of refrigeration training equipment that will improve management practices.

The equipment – including aluminum brazing kits and flux, nitrogen regulators, torque wrenches and sockets, and epoxy sealers – was handed over to Fiona Ernesta, the Ministry of Education’s director general for technical and further education, by Wills Agricole, director general for policy planning and services at the Department of Environment.

The presentation ceremony, attended by SIT director Jean Rassool and environment officials, came shortly after Ozone Day, the international day for the preservation of the ozone layer, last Tuesday.

Addressing the guests, Mr Agricole said since the SIT is the main training institution for refrigeration technicians in Seychelles, it has a mandate under the country’s phase-out plan to ensure future technicians are properly trained in the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their replacements.

He reaffirmed his department’s continuing support through similar donations for the sustainable socio-economic development of Seychelles and safeguarding of the environment.
 
Mr Agricole also urged the technicians who will benefit from the equipment to pass on the expertise and skills they gain to other colleagues and to be part of the solution to the problem of ozone layer protection.

Accepting the tools, Ms Ernesta expressed the education ministry’s appreciation for the donation. She said the equipment will further enhance refrigeration practices and help to achieve the 2010 ozone-depleting substances phase-out plan.

Funding for the equipment came from GTZ, a German-based international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations.