Six of the UK’s most promising refrigeration and air conditioning engineers have battled through to the final of the industry’s section of the 2025 WorldSkills UK competition to be held at Cardiff and Vale College, Wales on November 26 and 27.
The competition, which is organised by the Building Engineering Services Association and sponsored by the UK’s largest F-Gas registration scheme REFCOM and HVAC equipment manufacturer Baxi, is designed to showcase both emerging and existing technical skills.
Competitors will be challenged to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) applications, while also maintaining a safe working environment, in testing ‘real world’ situations. The medal ceremony will take place on November 28.
WorldSkills UK competitions are designed to help young people in a range of technical industries grow personally and professionally by developing their technical and employability skills. The competition-based development programme also has a strong track record of supporting young people from all backgrounds and abilities.
The RACHP candidates will be assessed by a panel of expert and independent judges drawn from the industry and the completed marking schedules will then be put forward for external verification by WorldSkills UK staff.
Testing
Tasks include digital programming, fault finding/diagnosis, electrical testing, pipework fabrication, service and maintenance, with a strong emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability. The six competitors will be expected to commission, de-commission and make changes to a full working system.
Finalists under 21 years of age who score above average will also be considered for the UK’s international squad preparing to compete at the 2028 Skills Olympics in Aichi, Japan.
Taking part in the final are: Craig Gow, Cool Cair Refrigeration and Glasgow Kelvin College; Sapper Daniel Hunt, Royal Engineers; Evan Jones, Lightfoot International and City of Portsmouth College; Sapper Isaac Jervis, Royal Engineers; Samuel Jones, Industrial Cooling Equipment and Practical Refrigeration Training Centre; and Taylor Mclaughlin from Cubic Works.
“This will be an amazing and potentially life-changing experience for all of these impressive young engineers,” said BESA’s technical director Kevin Morrissey. “Demonstrating your skills in front of a live audience and a high calibre judging panel may be a bit daunting, but they will all benefit from the experience.
“Giving young people a platform and celebrating talent in high profile competitions is a critical part of the industry’s attempts to address its serious skills shortages and prepare a new generation for the world of technical work.”
WorldSkills involves more than 80 countries and is a partnership between the education sector, businesses, and governments. It was set up over 60 years ago as a way of helping young people develop through competitions-based training, assessment, and benchmarking to support economic growth and create employment opportunities.
Ben Blackledge, chief executive of WorldSkills UK, said that taking part in the competition “can be a lifechanging experience that develops crucial skills and boosts future earnings”.
“Our competitions develop the personal and technical skills that employers are looking for in new recruits. I would encourage everyone to have a look at the many options available and sign up to compete.”
He added that 87% of previous entrants said taking part had improved their technical knowledge and 79% had developed better personal and employability skills.
For more details visit the BESA WorldSkills Competition page.