Subscribe to the daily news Sign in
En
09 June 2018

The SkillFRIDGE 2018 competition series

In the months since January, colleges from across the UK have been identifying their most outstanding RACHP students and have put them in the running to compete in the SkillFRIDGE 2018 competition series.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-12854" src="https://refindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/skillfridge.png" alt="" width="314" height="274" />

Registered apprentices will now compete in one of several regional heats taking place across the UK, and will be challenged to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a series of tasks that have been reviewed and endorsed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) to ensure that they demonstrate the high level of standards expected within the industry.

The regional heats will take place as follows

<strong>Tuesday 12 June</strong> <a href="https://www.bathcollege.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bath College</a>

<strong>Thursday 14 June</strong> <a href="https://www.eastleigh.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eastleigh College</a>

<strong>Thursday 12 July</strong> <a href="http://prtc.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Practical Refrigeration Training Centre</a>

<strong>Wednesday 18 July</strong> <a href="http://www.grimsby.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grimsby Institute</a>

Bath College, who will host the first regional heat, is the largest provider of apprenticeships in Bath, helping students find a suitable course and ensure they have the knowledge and skills required for their chosen career.

Simon Robinson, Refrigeration & Electrical learning coordinator, comments on the college’s involvement with the competition: “The whole SkillFRIDGE competition sets a high level of standard that the industry wants to be recognised for and Bath College are keen to support this ethos.

“The apprentices here feel it is an honour to get into the regional heats and realise they have been selected because they are showing signs of being potentially the best future engineers for the industry.

Eastleigh College has worked alongside SkillFRIDGE for several years, demonstrating its commitment to working in partnership with a wide range of organisations, groups and other providers. The college offers a wide range of vocational courses to over 22,000 learners, with specialist provisions for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.

Shaun Creech, job role, says: “We have noticed that the students – year on year – get more competitive with each other to see who the best within the college is. When they get through to the regional and national finals, you see them step up again.

“You really see them improve, and become more confident and competent.

<strong>What happens next?</strong>

Following the regional heats, the highest scoring competitor be invited to receive a prestigious accolade at the BESA Awards in October 2018.

The top seven scoring competitors will go on to compete at the SkillFRIDGE final taking place at WorldSkills LIVE in November. The highest scoring competitor at this stage will be crowed SkillFRIDGE Champion and will receive their award, along with their college receiving the SkillFRIDGE shield, at the ACR News Awards in March 2019.

<a href="http://skillfridge.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read More</a>
Share
Subscribe to the Refindustry Daily Newsletter
Trusted by 3,000+ refrigeration professionals worldwide
or sign up with
Google
LinkedIn
Facebook
No spam. Only industry-relevant news.
Unsubscribe anytime.

Related news

Garrett wins China serial award for oil-free HVAC compressor for e-...
Garrett Motion Inc. said it has received its first serial award in the mobility sector for an oil-free, foil bearing-based centrifugal compressor, selected by Chinese commercial-vehicle HVAC integr...
25 Feb 2026
SYCLEF enters Polish market with acquisition of PHI Group
SYCLEF has announced the integration of PHI (Polski Holding Instalacyjny), marking its first strategic operation in Central Europe. The move brings the international refrigeration and HVAC speci...
12 Feb 2026
Trane Technologies to acquire US-based LiquidStack to expand data c...
Trane Technologies has signed a definitive agreement to acquire LiquidStack, a U.S.-based provider of advanced liquid cooling technologies for data centers. The move aims to strengthen Trane Techno...
11 Feb 2026
ThermoKey updates TK Archimede with ICN air coolers and EC fan options
ThermoKey has released a new update of its TK Archimede configuration software, version v.260211. The release adds new software features, product updates, and a revised price list. According t...
20 Feb 2026
Munters reports record order intake in 2025
Munters recorded an 85% increase in order intake for 2025, reaching an all-time high, primarily due to strong demand in its Data Center Technologies (DCT) segment. FoodTech also contributed to the ...
19 Feb 2026
Philippines updates GHG inventory for cooling sector
The Philippines has released its second greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) sector, providing updated data on emissions from refrigerants and electricity...
21 Feb 2026