Women in ACR - Hafsa Kalsoom

Hafsa Kalsoom

Will Hawkins, editor of the ACR Journal, interviews Hafsa Kalsoom when he met her at training company, Cool Concerns.

Stephen Benton told me he met you at Birmingham City College. Can you tell me about what you are doing now, your education and the training you are doing now? How did you get into this? 

It was just talking to people. The person who was teaching me air conditioning and refrigeration at the moment, I used to go to the gum with him. When he saw me around college when I was doing my plumbing, he said 'you should have done air conditioning' and I thought 'What's all that about?'.

I just thought it was the standard in that someone just fixes your fridge when it doesn't work. So, he started talking to me about, saying that you can do this and that. Ok, it sounds fun and interesting, I'll give it a shot next year.  

That's what I did. I finished my plumbing. And then I enrolled to do my level 2 air conditioning and refrigeration course. I met Steve and he told me about  this as well, which gives you a bit of a head start to see where you are going to get too.   

So it's a good start?

Yes, it opens doors.  

And what do you think you are going to, having done this and you have got your test tomorrow or finals tomorrow, where do you want this to go?  

Obviously, I am going to finish what I am doing at college, as well. So I want to see if I can find someone or company that will recruit me as an apprentice on that basis I am nearly half way there. So, then I can alongside an engineer and help with what he is doing so I have the knowledge. And that I have got permission to do so. It will give me the feel for it as well.

So then I can see if I want to stay in service and maintenance. Or, if I want to go further. 

And with the plumbing side of this, you've nearly completed it?

Yes, I finished my plumbing in January. That was the first intensive course which was 18 weeks level 2 plumbing. 

And did that help you, do you think with some of what you have learnt here? 

In the aspect of the transferable of the refrigerant, and the whole system works, yes. Plus it gives you that plus advantage on all the pipework. And when it comes to the heat pumps which are going to be very popular in 2016 when new houses get built. That's when I will be coming in hand. 

So you've got in mind 

So it's an idea which is, like, the first stepping stone. It's 2014 now; 2015 when I finish my level 2. And, then, in 2016 I will be going onto my level 3, hopefully, if I go that way. Or, I will doing my renewable energy, which all three things would be the biggest demand in housing. 

So, really, when you look back to when you started your plumbing and before 

I went into plumbing because I wanted to go into a trade since when I was probably seven, and my parents never agreed. It's a man's job. I don't get it. If I am good enough to do it for you, how come I can't do it if someone pays some cash for it?

So, you were plumbing at home? 

No,I wasn't plumbing at home. My Dad buys and sells houses and lets them out. So, he gets a house. It's a bit run down. Go over, rip the skirtings off, the water's all off. The plumber has already taken everything off. He's taken the brackets off, taken the pipe out. Then the paint, decorating, it's like the whole. Filling holes and doing all the electrics. 

So, it's like 'If I can do it for you, how come I can't get some money and do something about it?  

And, then like now, I kind of said 'Fine. I'm not going to something for myself. I'll sit at home, I'll get a crap job and I'll stay in it. And then you can moan at me for being a bum.'  

A year went past and they got sick and tired of me doing nothing to a certain. Obviously, working to a minimum wage is not really what you want your children to do, is it?