RACHPskillsUK

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.

RACHPskillsUK (RACHP) competitions are part of WorldSkills UK (WSUK) portfolio of technical skills competitions.

About Us
RACHPskillsUK (RACHP) is owned by Warners Group PLC.
RACHP organise WSUK competitions for apprentices in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industries, testing their knowledge, skills and behaviours. RACHP provide resources for education, a platform for skills content, technical training programs, webinars and latest product information.

Embedded into the apprentices’ competition experience are opportunities to attend industry and skills events, a chance to learn from leading global companies and engage with the best innovation in industry.

About
WorldSkillsUK (WSUK)
Is an independent charity and work with employers, educators and governments to inspire young people, whatever their background, to choose high-quality apprenticeships and technical education as a prestigious career route.
Source; Worldskillsuk.org

Feedback from all competitors confirmed this was a life enhancing experience which helped them progress in the field of work and careers

About Lead Sponsor Fujitsu

Developing skills and raising standards across our industry is something we can all get behind, which is why we are delighted to be supporting an initiative which will help encourage the next generation of engineers says Ian Carroll, Chief Operating Officer, Fujitsu General Air Conditioning UK

The air conditioning and heat pump sectors have crucial roles to play as the world tackles the many challenges of climate change. With many industries facing a skills shortage, particularly as economy rebuilds in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the innovation required to help reach net zero is only possible if we attract, encourage and develop the very best talent.

I am proud that during my time with Fujitsu we have formed partnerships with a number of colleges throughout the UK, providing equipment and expertise with the aim of developing young talent to ensure that our industry is in safe hands for many years to come.

We are now taking the next step as headline sponsor for the air conditioning and heat pump categories of RACHPskills UK, an official technical skills partner of WorldSkills UK.

WorldSkills operates globally to improves apprentices’ confidence, quality of work and their knowledge with positive outcomes.

Apprentices of all ages can demonstrate their abilities by competing against one another, using tasks from real industry-based examples, and taking part has been shown to enhance learning and development. The programmes are linked to qualification frameworks and are designed to focus on building many of the core skills and competencies valued by employers, including teamwork, problem solving and time management.

Taking part can also open up a world of opportunities as competitors learn more about possible career paths which they may not have considered.

Fujitsu is proud to be supporting RACHPskills UK, and investing in the future of our industry.

Winner announced

“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

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.

It has been great to see our industry back in the spotlight alongside 60 other apprenticeship skills promoted by WorldSkills UK to young people.