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ANZSCO 3421Skill level 3Engineering and trades

Refrigeration and air-conditioning technician

Install, service and repair refrigeration and air-conditioning plant in domestic, commercial and industrial settings.

Registration: Federal ARCtick licence required to handle refrigerant

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1800Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a refrigeration and air-conditioning technician actually does

Refrigeration and air-conditioning techs split between domestic installs, commercial service work and large industrial refrigeration. Domestic installers spend the day fitting split systems on residential walls, brazing pipework, vacuuming and charging refrigerant, and commissioning the unit. Commercial techs cover packaged rooftop plant, chillers and ducted systems in offices, hospitals and shopping centres. Industrial refrigeration techs work in food processing, supermarkets and cold storage on ammonia and large CO2 plants. Hours run 7am to 4pm with occasional after-hours call-outs on critical refrigeration when a cool room is failing. The trade is regulated nationally through the ARCtick refrigeration handling licence, which is mandatory for working with refrigerant. Climate change and the energy transition are pushing the industry into heat pumps, low-GWP refrigerants and natural refrigerant systems.

Typical tasks

  • Install split-systems and ducted plant.
  • Recover refrigerants under ARCtick.
  • Diagnose and rectify control faults.

Skills you'll use

  • Pipe brazing and refrigerant handling
  • Vacuum, leak testing and refrigerant charging
  • Electrical fault-finding on AC control circuits
  • Reading wiring diagrams and ducted system plans
  • Applying AS/NZS 5149 for refrigerating systems and AS/NZS 1668 for ventilation
  • Working safely at heights for rooftop plant
  • Customer communication for service callouts

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 10 or 12. A pre-apprenticeship Certificate II in Engineering Pathways helps if you have not found a host employer
  2. 2Secure a host with an AC installer, mechanical services contractor or refrigeration company and sign an apprenticeship agreement
  3. 3Complete a 4-year Certificate III in Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (UEE32220) at TAFE alongside paid on-job training
  4. 4Apply for your federal ARCtick refrigerant handling licence through the Australian Refrigeration Council before you can handle refrigerant on your own
  5. 5Apply for your state restricted electrical licence so you can disconnect and reconnect plant during install and service work
  6. 6Optional next steps include adding the Refrigeration Engineer Society or AIRAH membership, OEM training on VRF and chiller systems, or specialising in industrial ammonia or CO2 plant

Where you can work

  • Residential and commercial AC installers
  • Mechanical services contractors on commercial fit-outs
  • Industrial refrigeration providers for food and cold storage
  • Supermarket and convenience store maintenance teams
  • Hospital, school and government facility maintenance
  • HVAC manufacturers as technical service representatives
  • Defence facilities and shipyards

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Apprentice
    0-4 years
    Typical roles: First-year apprentice, Fourth-year apprentice
    Salary band: $30,000 - $60,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Qualified technician
    4-8 years
    Typical roles: Service technician, Installation technician, Commercial AC tech
    Salary band: $80,000 - $110,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior technician
    8-15 years
    Typical roles: Senior service technician, Commissioning specialist, Industrial refrigeration technician
    Salary band: $105,000 - $145,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Business owner or specialist
    12+ years
    Typical roles: Mechanical services business owner, Project manager, Service manager

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You like working with both electrical and mechanical systems
  • You are good with your hands and patient with brazing and pipework
  • You enjoy diagnostic work
  • You can climb a ladder, lift unit weights and work in a roof space
  • You want a trade with strong service-based business potential

This might not suit you if

  • You dislike working at heights or in confined ceiling spaces
  • You have respiratory or skin issues that react to brazing fumes
  • You dislike Sydney summer heat and ceiling void temperatures

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for refrigeration and air-conditioning technician. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.