The initiative highlights the vital role of skilled professionals in delivering refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump technologies, and thermal management solutions, services that support food safety, healthcare, digital infrastructure, and climate resilience. This year’s campaign recognises everyone from field technicians and design engineers to vocational trainers and researchers, all of whom contribute to the sector’s performance and sustainability.

Amidst rising global demand for low-carbon heating and efficient cooling, the Cool Skills campaign highlights a widening workforce gap and the urgent need to establish talent pipelines. Industry bodies, training providers, manufacturers, and public institutions are engaging with the theme through local and sector-specific initiatives. Activities for the day include promoting technical careers, recognising skilled personnel, and profiling system design innovations that support climate targets. By highlighting the real-world contributions of the cooling and heating workforce, the campaign aims to inform policy, inspire new entrants, and strengthen the industry’s reputation.

World Refrigeration Day serves as a key platform for cross-sector dialogue and public engagement, highlighting the social and environmental importance of thermal systems worldwide.

World Refrigeration Day Founder Steve Gill said: “My Cool Skills aren’t just about temperature or pressure any more — they’re about people. About creating belonging, opening doors, and helping others find their path in this industry. Because if we want to cool and heat the world sustainably and equitably, we need all kinds of people with all kinds of cool skills. When that happens... it’s a kind of magic.”

The President of the Institute of Refrigeration, Lisa-Jayne Cook, said: “This year’s theme, Cool Skills, is a perfect reminder that behind every cooling system, every cold chain, and every climate-controlled space, there are skilled professionals quietly making it all work.?These are the people applying the principles of thermodynamics that Lord Kelvin himself helped define - people who are not just keeping the lights on, but ensuring the world stays cool in a warming climate.”