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

Related news

Beijer Ref acquires majority stake in Italian A/C distributor Idema
Beijer Ref has acquired 75 percent of the shares in Idema, an air conditioning distributor based in Italy, with an option to purchase the remaining shares. The transaction is part of Beijer Ref...
21 Jan 2026
Xi’an Jiaotong University holds Moon-Tech Scholarship ceremony
The School of Energy and Power Engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong University said it recently held the “Moon-Tech Scholarship” award ceremony at its Innovation Harbor Campus. The event aimed to recogniz...
19 Jan 2026
Copeland begins scroll compressor production in India under ₹500 cr...
Copeland has completed the first phase of its ₹500 crore (approx. USD 60 million) investment at its manufacturing facility in Atit, India. The milestone marks the start of local production of scrol...
16 Jan 2026
Blackstone buys out Madison Dearborn stake in AIR
Air Control Concepts (“AIR”) said funds managed by Blackstone’s private equity strategy for individual investors have signed and closed the acquisition of Madison Dearborn Partners’ remaining equit...
16 Jan 2026
Hoshizaki America names David Sellers VP of Engineering
Hoshizaki America has appointed David Sellers as Vice President of Engineering, in Peachtree City, Ga. The appointment places Sellers in an expanded engineering leadership role focused on innovatio...
18 Jan 2026
Egypt Receives $1 Million in Funding for Energy-Efficient Cooling P...
Egypt has secured approval for its Compressor Conversion Project with funding of approximately USD 1 million during the 97th Meeting of the Executive Committee under the Montreal Protocol. The proj...
16 Jan 2026