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''My current role includes maintenance & Service works on various sites nationwide, from DX systems to Ammonia & CO2 plants.''

''I enjoy the variety of work the most & learning how each plant operates & controls differently. Refrigeration is an excellent trade which constantly tests your knowledge & pushes you to improve as an engineer.''

Scott Vardy, Fast Track Engineer

After completing a degree in electrical and electronic engineering while working as a maintenance engineer, Scott decided to transition to the refrigeration industry because it covers many aspects of engineering, He joined Star's Fast Track Training programme for engineers with previous experience and became a fully qualified industrial refrigeration engineer in just 12 months. His current role involves service and maintenance work on large CO2 and ammonia refrigeration system and he looks forward to progressing through the Star ST engineer grading system.


''I enjoy the responsibility of working on my own and being able to make decision’s''

''I find the company very good to work for as you have plenty of support across all departments. Everyone is friendly and willing to help. The role also comes with an excellent benefits package.''

Jonathon Cosgrove, Industrial Refrigeration Engineer – Fast Track

After completing a pipe fitting apprenticeship with Star's manufacturing department, Jonathon decided to complete Star's Industrial Refrigeration Engineering Fast-Track training programme to become a fully qualified cooling engineer within 12 months. His current role changes day-to-day, some days consist of carrying out maintenance checks on customers sites to make sure the plant is operating as efficiently as possible and minimise downtime. Other days he can be fault finding inside a control panel or overhauling a compressor.


''I enjoy the mechanical aspect the most, getting to replace and rebuild complex, multi million pound cooling technology in small time frames excites me and now I have the knowledge to do so.''

Samuel Corlett

''I like the diverse nature of the work and the different sites and locations you visit daily. One day you are conducting planned preventative maintenance on a modern site and the next day you could be rebuilding a reciprocating compressor from the 1960’s.''''

Sam Corlett, Industrial Refrigeration Engineer – Fast Track

Sam worked in the manufacture of commercial refrigeration equipment and was looking to progress into a broader reaching industry that would satisfy his thirst for knowledge. He enjoys the mechanical aspect of his job the most, getting to replace and rebuild complex machines in small time frames, problem solving and fixing issues. His advice to engineers from other disciplines looking to train in industrial refrigeration would be to concentrate on gaining a working knowledge of the vapor compression cycle and not to be afraid to apply your own knowledge from other fields to solve refrigeration problems.


''The variation of work is another area that differs.  Rarely is any day the same as the previous one, and the challenges of maintaining and servicing somewhere in the region of 20 different sites, means you can never sit back on your laurels and think that you know-it-all.  If I spend another 20 years plus working in refrigeration, I still don’t think I’d be able to profess to this!''

''As a Fast Track Engineer, your previous engineering skills are recognised and you are actively encouraged and supported by a mentor programme to develop and transfer these skills into the world of refrigeration.''

Richard Gahan, Refrigeration Engineer

Richard joined Star’s Fast Track Training programme After an 18 year career in the Royal Navy working in an operational role working alongside highly trained engineers in support of the UK’s Strategic Deterrent. As a result of this learned engineering knowledge, Richard completed the Fast Track programme in just 9 months, becoming a fully qualified industrial refrigeration engineer. His advice to anyone serving in the armed forces looking to move into a career in refrigeration engineering is to fully utilise the resources that the Armed Forces offer when you make that life-changing decision to ‘push-the-button’ and leave. Pick resettlement courses that are relevant to refrigeration, such as the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump course.


''The structure to becoming an engineer for star is very similar to that of the armed forces, which was great for myself as it helped moving to civilian lifestyle a lot easier.''

Jordan Fiddes

''I joined star with an NVQ level 2 in mechanical and electrical engineering, I feel working for star is massively helping me with my career development plan.''

Jordan Fiddes, Fast Track Refrigeration Engineer

After serving as a Marine Engineer in the Royal Navy where he learned about refrigeration and became fascinated by it, he decided to make a career change and joined Star's Fast Track into Industrial Refrigeration Engineering programme. Jordan found the transition easy as the structure to becoming an engineer in Star is similar to that of the Armed Forces and he feels supported in achieving his career development plan.


''From the very beginning Star have been so supportive, from having dedicated study days to internal support & guidance from colleagues.''

''100% go for it! I believe the workplace (and the world) thrives on diversity so don’t let anything hold you back.''

Eleanor Ford, Maintenance Manager

After finishing her A-Levels, Eleanor applied for a level 2 apprenticeship in Business and Administration at Star Refrigeration. After completing her apprenticeship she was offered a full time role and has progressed through the business, working as a Service Controller and progressing to Maintenance Manager at Star's Manchester Branch.


''An entry level apprenticeship position will form the foundation of a lifelong successful career in any form of engineering whether that be industrial refrigeration or plumbing.''

''I have been fortunate enough to attend the IOR awards ceremony after becoming a finalist for the Apprentice of the Year Award, which proves the quality of the training we received at Star.''

Kelvin Clamp, Refrigeration Engineering Apprentice

After 6th form, Kelvin decided he wanted to do something 'hands on' as he always enjoyed learning how things work and decided to apply for a refrigeration engineering apprenticeship at Star. A large part of the work he does is preventative maintenance, which usually consists of frequent performance checks to ensure systems are running at their design efficiency. Kelvin was recently a finalist at the IOR Apprentice of the Year Awards and hopes to progress through the engineering grading system after completing the apprenticeship.


''Big multinational companies in diverse industries such as petrochemical, cold chain and pharma put their trust on me daily.''

''A personal career highlight was being involved in the installation and commissioning of one of Europe’s largest cold stores. My hard work was recognised and I was invited to the industry's national ACR awards ceremony where we won the ‘Project of the Year’ award presented by Jeff Stelling.''

Milo Tolley, Refrigeration Engineer

Milo originally undertook an apprenticeship at a competitor but switched to Star so I could progress my career with Star's trainee scheme. As a fast track engineer, Milo was able to combine a 4 year apprenticeship into just 18 months. A personal career highlight was being involved in the installation and commissioning of one of Europe’s largest cold stores. After completing his apprenticeship he can go on to Star’s 5 level Engineering grading program to improve his competence, take the managerial route or further his education with a university degree while working as an engineer.


''Getting real-life experience and putting that into action in my studies has really benefitted me.''

''Having the flexibility to work from home especially during term time at university is a great benefit; it has allowed me to stay working throughout the full year not just summertime.''

Olivia Finlay, Human Resources Intern

Olivia is studying HR and Business Law as a joint honours degree at university while gaining experience as a Human Resources Intern at Star Refrigeration. She works 4 days a week during summer and 8 hours a week from home during term time. Having the flexibility to work from home allows her to easily balance her work with her full time studies.


''What I like most is being part of the marketing team and seeing the results of a campaign - in university you write plans but never get to see them being implemented.''

Anna Employee Picture

''I have worked at Star since 2018 and what I like the most is everyone is supportive, friendly, approachable and that the company encourages creativity. I also think there are lots of opportunities at Star to enhance your learning and work on exciting projects.''

Anna Flanagan, Marketing Graduate

While studying Marketing, Anna undertook several summer internships at Star and began a full time role upon graduating from university. A highlight of working in Star has been marketing for Star’s 50th birthday focusing on PR, social media, corporate gifts and the website. In the future, Anna would like to progress into the role of a marketing manager.


''I think the employee benefits are really good, I really appreciate those for example the pension and private medical insurance''

''It was great to learn a new skill set. I completed the fast track training programme in 12 months. I really enjoyed learning about industrial refrigeration engineering whilst also applying my skills as an electrician during site visits.''

Chae Poulsen, Fast Track Engineer

Chae completed the fast track engineering training programme at Star's Aberdeen branch in just 12 months and has progressed to an ST2C engineer. His current role involves going to weekly or monthly maintenance works and services on customer sites. His long term ambitions are to continue working his way up the engineering grading system.


''He told me of all of the benefits Star offered with employment and after hearing these amazing benefits I couldn’t turn it down.''

Keir Dickson, Refrigeration Engineer

''The trust the management showed continued throughout my apprenticeship and even to this day, I have been a fully qualified engineer for almost 5 years now and I would say that has definitely helped my career progression. Overall Star has a great apprenticeship program and this produces engineers at the top of the trade.''

Keir Dickson, Refrigeration Engineer

After the factory he was working for closed down and he had to leave his previous Apprenticeship, Keir joined Star as a second year Industrial Refrigeration Engineering Apprentice, attracted by the benefits that Star offers to its employees. 5 years on from completing his apprenticeship, he works as an ST2 engineer and hopes to progress to an ST3 engineer by the end of the year. In the future, Keir has ambitions to enter a supervisor or manager role.


''Having both academic and hands on learning has been the perfect route for me and has provided a great foundation to build my future career.''

''I have had a great experience as an apprentice at Star so far, everyone has been extremely helpful and given me assistance. I have progressed very quickly and been given responsibility over full contract models and drawings which has made me feel like an integral part of the star design team.''

Cameron Coleman, Apprentice Draughtsperson

After completing his Higher exams, Cammy joined an apprentice training centre which introduced him to Star and he began a draughtsman apprenticeship. Through working, learning and training he produces and develops 3D models and 2D drawings from refrigeration packages, site layouts and large site pipework models. His advice to other young people is to do something you will enjoy investing the time and work into, and find a company who is also willing to put the time and effort into progressing you to your full potential.


''Being awarded third place at the IOR Scotland Apprentice of the Year Awards in 2018 after being nominated by my line manager was a huge highlight for me.''

''I was attracted to Star because they work with a lot of big customers such as Asda and Tesco with big sites which I was really interested in. Star are always looking to improve and expand into different areas of refrigeration and heat pumps where others have not been before.''

Gavin Kidd, Refrigeration Engineer

Gavin began an apprenticeship at Star’s Bellshill branch in May 2016 and now works full time as a fully qualified refrigeration engineer. Through his apprenticeship he gained multiple qualifications including an NC and an SCQF Level 5 in Electrical Engineering but his highlight was winning third place at IOR Scotland Apprentice Of The Year awards. He now hopes to undertake an engineering management course and progress to a more senior role within Star.


''I think the main thing that stands out to me is that everybody in Star Refrigeration is very caring and really does work together as a team''

''Star combine academic learning with on-site work-based training supported by their experienced engineering teams.  This was an ideal set-up for me, as both the academic qualification route offered, together with support from experienced mentors at Star, have formed the building blocks of my chosen career.''

Charlie Porter, Refrigeration Engineering Apprentice

Charlie applied for an apprenticeship with Star's Bristol branch shortly after completing his GCSE's. He works on multiple different sites, learning from experienced engineers whilst completing a full time college course in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. His future ambition upon completing his apprenticeship is to progress to a management role within Star Refrigeration.


''I originally joined SDA as an engineering intern, where I supported the physical installing of Ethos hardware on sites and provided support to the Lead Software Developer.''

''The most enjoyable part of my job is having the freedom to explore ideas that I have, which may improve the product. This is something I don’t believe is common within the industry, so I take a lot of encouragement in the trust that the team have in me.''

Jack Caven, Software Developer at SDA

Jack works as a Full Stack Software Developer with Star Data Analytics (SDA) on their Ethos energy management system. He initially joined Star in 2020 as an engineering intern upon graduating from his masters in Mechanical Engineering, however he discovered a passion for software development and was then supported to pursue studies in this area.


"With the right attitude and this understanding of what you are working on, anything is possible."

Lylle-Perks

"I really enjoy the amount of exposure to different challenges and customers sites I receive on a daily basis."

Lylle Perks, Refrigeration Engineer

Star Refrigeration’s Lyell Perks was crowned National Student of the Year at the RAC Cooling Industry Awards 2014. Lyell began his journey with Star at the Oxford branch in 2011 and became a fully qualified engineer in the summer of 2015 after completing his apprenticeship. Here are Lyell’s thoughts on apprenticeships, becoming Student of the Year, working with Star, and what’s in store for his future in the industry.


“The main benefit is the diversity and range of staff and their knowledge and having access to them daily”

Nicola

“The variety and the responsibility and autonomy I have been given; seeing the finished product of my work is really rewarding.”

Nicola MacDougall, Finance Graduate

After studying a BA in Accountancy at Glasgow Caledonian University, Nicola began a finance internship with Star. Her main focus is working on Starfrost- looking at Star’s reports and processes and ensuring consistency with these.


“It was good to see in person and made me realise engineering was a good choice for me.”

tom-paton

“Ethos has tapped into a market with huge potential whilst having a key focus on reducing impact on the environment – which I think is very special and responsible.”

Tom Paton, Intern at SDA

While studying Mechanical Engineering at Herriot Watt University, Tom has done 3 summer placements with Star. Tom initially worked on Ethos; after this he worked a within in the design department and in 2020 moved over to SDA.


"If I had known how diverse and bespoke the refrigeration systems were, I would have joined the industry earlier."

Bruce Smeaton, Senior Consultant at STS

After graduating from Glasgow University, Bruce worked initially with heat exchangers, fans and compressors. After this, he moved to work for Star within in design department and in 2014 moved over to STS where he has progressed further to Senior Consultant.


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