IOR to launch a Skills Alliance
13th February 2026
UK: The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) is to launch a new collaborative forum to ensure training provision is aligned with real industry needs.
The creation of the Industry Skills Alliance was announced at last night’s IOR Annual Dinner by IOR president Lisa-Jayne Cook.
Reaffirming the Institute’s commitment to placing members and skills at the forefront of its agenda, Cook said that the new forum was designed to bring employers, educators, trainers and other stakeholders together to share insight and ensure training provision is aligned with real industry needs.
“The Alliance will be a practical, collaborative forum, led by the Institute, bringing employers, educators, trainers and others together to share insight, align training provision with real industry need, and make sure we are genuinely preparing people for the jobs that exist, and the ones that are coming,” she said. “It reflects how we believe progress happens, not in silos, but through collaboration, openness, and a shared commitment to raising standards across the sector.”
She invited members to get involved and become part of the Alliance. “Because skills don’t fix themselves. They improve when we come together, share insight, and take collective responsibility for shaping the future.”
(Interested parties are invited to register their interest here).
“The RACHP sector is changing faster than at any point in its history. Net zero, climate adaptation, digitalisation, new refrigerants, new technologies and, crucially – new people,” Cook said. “And one message has come through loud and clear from our members: education and skills matter but they have to be the right skills, for the right jobs, at the right time.”
She explained that the IOR’s education outreach work, led by new employee Matt Harvey, is designed to connect employers, trainers, awarding bodies and educators, and to turn good intentions into coordinated action.
