Meet Josh SagigiJosh Sagigi – Refrigeration Apprentice

What’s it like to do an apprenticeship with VAE?

VAE Group has trained more than 40 apprentices over the years, and Joshua Sagigi is one with an apprenticeship currently underway. In July 2023, Josh was recognised as Refrigeration Apprentice of the Year by Tafe Queensland, which he says is his biggest work achievement to date, along with reaching the third year of his apprenticeship.

“An apprenticeship takes commitment and discipline, so I’m proud to have reached this stage,” Josh says.

Josh didn’t always want to become a Refrigeration Technician. When he left school, he didn’t know what he wanted to do and so he went into retail.

“My five-year anniversary came around, and I got a badge, and I was like, surely I’m not going to spend the rest of my days stocking shelves? When I was in high school, I completed a Certificate II in Electro Technology, and I was interested in that. I remembered my electro teacher saying that I should give refrigeration a crack because he’d had a few mates say they enjoyed the trade. So I decided to apply for a few companies, and VAE were happy to give me an interview.”

Josh says that one of the things he enjoys most about his job is the variety of work.

“There are three main types of refrigeration applications – low temperature, medium temperature, and high temperature – and my job has covered all these applications at one time or another. High temperature is for air conditioning, and in this area I’ve worked on big package units and split-ducted units for both commercial and industrial applications. Medium temperature is refrigeration, and in that application I’ve worked on cool rooms and large industrial rack systems. Low temperature systems are essentially freezers, and some of the interesting examples I’ve worked on include small medical practices that need to store pharmaceuticals at really low temperatures.”

“You definitely come across all applications of refrigeration at VAE, which is a massive bonus. It helps with TAFE because you go in there with an understanding of what you’re looking at.”

Josh also really enjoys the on-the-job learning he gets to do as part of his apprenticeship.

Another aspect of working at VAE that Josh enjoys is the friendships he’s developed with his workmates. Josh says that you spend eight plus hours with your workmates every day, sometimes travelling away together, and you form valuable connections.

“A lot of us spend time together outside of work too. We train together at the gym just as a recreational thing.”

Josh enjoys the laidback culture of VAE. “Everyone’s very friendly, always up to have a chat, even the supervisors. We’ve got some great supervisors here. Two of the supervisors started off as refrigeration technicians for VAE and they’ve moved up the ranks into those roles, so they understand what our roles are like day to day.”

Are you considering a refrigeration apprenticeship? Josh has some words of advice.

He says that an apprenticeship is very rewarding but it’s important that you’re willing to stick it out. “It is a four-year apprenticeship, so you’ve got to have commitment. You also need discipline because there are some early starts and sometimes you have to work through the night.”

Josh says that while a refrigeration apprenticeship takes discipline, the learning and friendships make it worthwhile. He’s also had some funny experiences on the job.

“In my first year, I was very green to the trade and I got sent on an errand by my supervisor, who asked me to pick up some sheet metal from Babinda. Babinda, the town, is 25-30 minutes’ drive from Cairns, and me being so green, I legitimately thought I had to travel there. But Babinda’s company is actually based in Cairns. So I’ve gone for a drive through peak-hour traffic. I got a call from my supervisor asking where I was, and I said I’m in Babinda looking for Babinda Sheet Metal. He forgot to tell me that Babinda Sheet Metal was actually in Cairns. Everyone thought it was pretty funny.”

Outside of work, Josh enjoys resistance training and rugby union. He moved several times growing up, spending a few years in Adelaide, Sydney, Townsville and Brisbane before settling in Cairns. Only recently, Josh found out that alongside his South Sea Islander and Torres Strait heritage, he also has relatives from Estonia, which he was fascinated to learn. “You go twenty plus years of your life thinking you’re from here, you’re from there and then you find out you’ve got a whole other side to your family. It was quite exciting; I was quite happy.”

What's next for Josh?

He’s focused on finishing his apprenticeship and eventually being signed off as a refrigeration mechanic. When he achieves that goal, he plans to celebrate by… going to work the following day!