Meet The Next Generation Of Apprentices In A High-Growth Trade

The future of the refrigeration and air conditioning industry is in good hands with independently-owned Auckland refrigeration business CoSell.

In the last five years the company has ignited its apprenticeship training, building a robust pipeline of talent and heralding in the next generation of refrigeration specialists. CoSell’s 25-strong team currently includes five apprentices in training with Competenz, and every year, the business has pledged to take on another one.

“We are quite a young company – only about 12 years old – so initially it was hard for us to look at training apprentices,” says CoSell Engineering Manager Mike Gibson.

Now though, the foundations are laid and Mike says they are delighted to be playing their part in developing tomorrow’s Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) workforce.

“This business has gone from nothing to a $20 million business, there’s been quite a lot of growth, but you can’t just import people, or take staff from other businesses because those resources are finite. We want to be adding to that wider pool of talent - putting back in rather than taking from the industry.”

Investing in apprenticeships to build a skilled workforce benefits everyone - the apprentice, the business, and the industry as a whole – but for Mike and his team, it’s an endeavour that’s also deeply personal. They know from first-hand experience the importance of passing essential skills down to future generations.

“My father was in refrigeration, I followed in his footsteps and now my son Liam is doing the same. He came onboard as our first apprentice and is on track to complete in a couple of months. Originally Liam wanted to be an electrician so we placed him with an electrical company to do some work experience, but in the end he decided RAC was more interesting because it’s got the electrical side but also touches on plumbing and construction too. We are a multi-trade trade. If you love diversity, then RAC is a great option. It’s also a really solid career path – preservation is always going to be a large part of any food industry so there is always going to be demand for skilled professionals.”

Twenty four year old Liam is stoked with the path he has chosen.

“Often schools try and push you towards university but there are other options, especially if you like hands-on stuff,” says Liam, who lives in Henderson. “I couldn’t stand the thought of being in a classroom for another three or four years, it just didn’t interest me. I always knew I was going to get into a trade, it was just a matter of which trade.”

Gaining a taste of different trades through work experience sealed the deal.

“Refrigeration is really interesting because you get to do a bit of everything. I particularly love the problem solving aspect of the job – working out what’s happening and being able to rectify it gives you a sense of accomplishment.”

So too, does the chance he has been given to build his skills while empowering newer apprentices within the CoSell fold.

“Currently, as part of my last two assessments managed by the work-based training organisation Competenz, I’m building a training cool room at work, so that our apprentices can work on systems and do real world problem solving. It’s a win-win because it helps CoSell out with future training and also helps me finish my apprenticeship!”

The new training cool room is one of a number of ways CoSell supports its employees to learn and grow.

“They are very passionate about training the next generation,” says Competenz Training Advisor Gavin Irving, who has worked alongside CoSell for the past 18 months, supporting learner progress and keeping apprentices on track. “They understand the importance of being engaged with the learner and their progress.”

Mike says this engagement starts from day one in the company.

“When we employ an apprentice we start him in the installation side of the business, which allows him to get familiar with different types of equipment and learn how to bolt stuff together, braze and weld. These core skills help ease them into the trade, and then once they’ve got their EST (Electrical Service Technician) pass they’ll start going out with the guys and getting experience in the service team before starting some jobs on their own.”

CoSell apprentices get lots of support too.

“If they need to get stuff finished we give them time to work on it, apprentices help each other on jobs, and we run weekly technical training sessions bringing in some of our more experienced technical tradesmen to help guide apprentices through any problems they may have come across.”

With backing like this, apprentice Slayde Smith feels confident of success, and is looking forward to a rewarding career in the industry.

“We get great support from the technicians and management and Mike takes a keen interest in our progression. Competenz comes and visits us regularly throughout the year to check on how we are going and our progress. We can also contact them between these visits if we have any issues or if we need more support,” says the North Shore 18 year old.

Like Liam, Slayde is a third generation RAC apprentice. He has witnessed first-hand the life long careers that apprenticeships provide.

“I was always keen to do a trade and exposure to refrigeration through my grandfather and dad confirmed my decision. My grandfather owned the largest refrigeration business in South Africa. He is retired now but he sent me over all his specialised refrigeration tools – they’re basically family heirlooms. Meanwhile my dad is the Auckland Branch manager at CoSell.”

Slayde kicked off his career working part-time at CoSell during the school holidays. He loved it and joined the company full-time as an apprentice at the beginning of 2025.

“I love earning while I learn, working with my hands, and going out to all the different sites. This job is never boring.”

It also leads to a wide range of career paths, including sales and service, management, design and engineering, and contracting.

Slayde’s dream? “To specialise in CO2 and gain experience working all over the world.”

Wherever he ends up, you can be sure his father and grandfather will be cheering him on from the sidelines.

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