29 November 2022
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From left, Martyn Ives, Peter Smith, Scott Ballantyne, Mitchell Scott, Mark Forsyth, Luke Haile, Todd Montague, Charlotte Robinson, James Richardson
After almost a year of training days and competition, the finals of WorldSkills UK-RACHPSkills UK took place over three days at Barking and Dagenham College, and Luke Haile of Lightfoot Defence/Eastleigh College emerged as this year’s Gold medal winner.
Organised by Warners Group Publications, publishers of ACR Journal and Heat Pumps Today, the event saw Scott Ballantyne of AE Refrigeration/Glasgow College win Silver and Todd Montague of Vivo Defence Services/Bath College claiming Bronze, with fellow finalists Mitchell Scott (Universal Cooling/Practical Refrigeration training Centre), Charlotte Robinson (Catalent Pharma Solutions/Bath College) and Peter Smith (Arcus Ltd/Eastleigh College) all achieving outstanding results.
Headline sponsor Fujitsu invited all six finalists to join them for two unforgettable VIP days, incorporating the medals ceremony and as their guests to watch coverage of England’s World Cup clash with USA.
Fujitsu Distribution Sales & Technical Services Director Martyn Ives said: “We are really proud to have been involved as headline sponsor. The RACHPSkills UK competition aligns with Fujitsu’s dedication to educating and supporting the next generation of people in our industry.
“It has been a pleasure meeting many young apprentices from all over the country and we wish all the competitors the very best of luck with their future careers.”
The finalists received a cheque for £150 from ACRIB (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board), presented by Institute of Refrigeration president Graeme Fox
Overall winner Luke Haile has now earned the chance to be selected and represent our industry and compete as part of Team UK in France 2024. He said: “The whole experience has been amazing and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to develop new skills, as well as benefiting from the specialist training provided to me by Fujitsu.”
WorldSkillsUK has welcomed home Team UK to celebrate their achievements in the Internationals WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, where they performed exceptionally well especially given the difficult build-up to this competition cycle. A reception was held at the Houses of Parliament for special guests, with a speech from the Skills Minister and Olympians to the international competitors and leading brands, including Fujitsu.
A total of 27 young apprentices registered in this year’s RACHPskillsUK event to compete and have their skills tested and benchmarked against WorldSkills Standards.
Industry provided support through equipment, judges and test projects which challenged knowledge and inspired confidence amongst the competitors. The biggest contribution came from Fujitsu as headline sponsor, via new products, training days, supporting colleges hosting the qualifiers, and inspiring the next generation of RACHP engineers.
It has been great to see our industry back in the spotlight alongside 60 other apprenticeship skills promoted by WorldSkills UK to young people.
