YOU'RE going to get bored with this over the coming months but it has to be said, it's not going to go away, it has to be faced.
The F-gas regulations will undoubtedly change the way we work in this industry and the largest initial change that has to be faced will be the need for every engineer to pass the assessment.

My main concern, from talking to people in the industry, is whether everyone who needs to be passed through the assessment system in time to meet the deadlines can be.

Contrary to what you may have been told, it doesn't matter whether you have 2078 or CITB refrigerant handling certification, NVQ, ONC, HND, O'level technical drawing or the cycling proficiency test, if you install, service or maintain air conditioning or refrigeration equipment you are still going to need to pass the F-gas assessment in order to be able to continue working.

And even for the most experienced and capable engineers, it will not be just a rubber-stamping exercise. The assessment will have both practical and theoretical elements. Surprisingly, I can see the theoretical part of the assessment causing the most problems, particularly as it requires you to prove that you understand the underlying theories of the refrigeration process (including use of that graph-like thingy, you know the one - looks a bit like a Meccano plan of a ski-slope, requires a sharp pencil).

Candidates will also need to understand component functions and their leak potential as well as having an understanding of environmental aspects, GWP, etc. A theoretical knowledge of refrigerant and oil handling will also be required, along with new regulations on the keeping of records.

Not surprisingly, it is generally accepted that many people will require 'refresher course' pre-training in order to pass the assessment.

Nobody knows how many that might affect but it will be vital to understand exactly what will be required of you in the assessment as it will be hard enough shoe-horning the estimated 40,000 UK engineers through the process in the time available without the prospect of some having to face resits.

To this end, it will be to everyone's benefit to ascertain exactly what amount of 'refresher' training will be required, if any, a kind of pre-MOT, if you like.

And although we may have until July 2011 to complete this process, it is vital that it is conducted in a regulated and sensible manner and people don't wait until the last minute to apply for assessment.