ARBS Education and Research FoundationARBS Education and Research Foundation

ARBS Foundation is committed to help build a vibrant, productive and rewarding airconditioning and refrigeration industry

Reports

Chairman’s Report to 2017 AGM

I am pleased to present my chairman’s report for the year to June 2017.

In summary I can say the Foundation is fully established and operating in a professional and effective manner. It has supported a number of programs and activities which are detailed in this report, however there is more work to undertake if the Foundation is to achieve the goals it has set.

Administration

The Foundation is recognised by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission as a charity in respect to both the Scholarship Trust and the Development Trust which it operates. What this means is that the activities of the Foundation are exempt from income tax and any donations to the trusts from companies and individuals are fully tax deductible for the donors.

During the now completed year the board has met on 4 occasions. The schedule details the attendance at meetings.

 

Meetings Meetings Attended
Ian Hopkins (Chair) 4 4
Allen Williams 4 3
Simon Bradwell 4 3
Ashak Nathwani 4 2
Greg Picker 4 2
David Eynon (Executive Officer) 4 4

The Foundation board is very cognisant of its responsibilities to ensure the funds made available to it go to education and research rather than administration. The target which the board is working towards is $0.80 in every dollar it receives going to education and research. The development phase in the life of the Foundation means there are higher set up and administration costs. However, the record shows we have achieved a credible result this year.

is the principal source of funds coming to the Foundation. We express our gratitude to it for the past and future commitment to our important work.

Education & Training.

Education and training is the first of the 2 arms of the Foundation’s goals. In a number of respects it has been easier to find and approve grants to support education and training activities because many of the industry associations have well-established training operations.

For the second year, the Foundation has continued to fund the trade scholarship program delivered by AREMA and AMCA. This program provides for a small number of apprentices and their TAFE teachers to attend the world-class teaching facility at the Box Hill Institute in Melbourne and participate in higher-level trade training in air-conditioning and refrigeration. The training is delivered over 2 one-week residential blocks. This year participants were drawn from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.

Engineers Without Borders conducts a design summer during the year end break of the academic year. These summits are open to engineering students. Their focus is for the engineering students to work with local communities in poor parts of Southeast Asia and develop engineering solutions to local problems. Over the University break at the end of 2016 the foundation sponsored 2 students in New South Wales to be part of the annual program.

Research

Research forms the second arm of the Foundation’s charter. In order to assist the board develop a strategy it held 2 workshops, one in Melbourne and another in Sydney. Those who attended were selected from a wide cross-section of the industry. The discussion at both locations proved to be valuable.

An important outcome of the workshops is the relationship that is being developed with the University of Sydney and the RMIT University.

A number of submissions to the board for research projects were received but not all were funded. One which was funded came from New South Wales TAFE. They sought and were granted $20,002 to research PV cells and their ability to operate a domestic air-conditioning unit. This project is running throughout 2017. The board is very pleased with the conduct of this project.

Challenges

The Foundation was established to foster and promote education and research in the air-conditioning and refrigeration industries. As I report here good progress is being made. The board has identified several challenges that it needs to address in the future.

  • Establish a long-term financial arrangement with industry to support the education and research programs.
  • Improve the knowledge and recognition of the Foundation and its programs in industry.
  • Develop and consolidate a strong relationship with universities in New South Wales and Victoria.
  • Support education and research programs that are not able to secure support through traditional sources.

Conclusion

The audited financial statements form part of my report on the Foundation’s activities over the past year.

Finally I would like to thank the board for their helpful insights that have aided the Foundation to continue its valuable work.

Ian Hopkins.

Chairman