Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Apprentice

Role Summary:

Dawn Meats is one of Europe’s leading food companies, supplying high‑quality meat products to retail, foodservice and manufacturing customers across Ireland, the UK and international markets. Our Ballyhaunis site is a large, fast‑paced food production facility with a strong focus on safety, quality and engineering excellence.

We are currently recruiting a Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Apprentice to join the Maintenance team at our Ballyhaunis site. This apprenticeship offers an excellent opportunity to gain practical, hands‑on experience in an industrial food manufacturing environment while completing the national refrigeration and air conditioning apprenticeship programme.

You will work under the guidance of experienced engineers, learning how critical refrigeration and HVAC systems support food safety, production and efficiency.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities

• Assist qualified refrigeration and maintenance technicians with the Installation, maintenance and repair of industrial refrigeration and air conditioning systems
• Gain experience working with cold rooms, blast chillers and production critical cooling systems
• Carry out routine inspections and basic maintenance work
• Safe handling of refrigerants
• Support breakdown response and fault diagnosis
• Maintain accurate maintenance and service records
• Adhere to all Dawn Meats health & safety and site procedures
• Attend all off‑the‑job training phases as part of the apprenticeship

Qualifications

Key Requirements:

• Leaving Certificate (or equivalent)
• Strong interest in refrigeration, HVAC, mechanical or electrical trades
• Practical and hands‑on approach
• Willingness to learn and develop new skills
• Ability to work as part of a team in a busy production environment
• Commitment to completing the full four‑year apprenticeship
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must pass an approved colour vision test