SkillFRIDGE
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SkillFRIDGE 2018: Finalists revealed
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Following a closely contested series of regional heats, the organisers of SkillFRIDGE are delighted to reveal the six apprentices that have topped the national table and qualified to compete in the 2018 final.
B
ath College is the only training provider in the 2018 competition to see two of its students make the top six: Chandler Davison and Kevin
Ballantine. Chandler, who topped the national rankings and will be the recipient of the SkillFRIDGE National Winner accolade, is employed by Thermocold Ltd – a family-run business working in and around the South West region – and is set to complete his four year apprenticeship course in September. Speaking on what led him into the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, Chandler says: “It was a great apprenticeship programme to enter at college and was a subject that I was interested in, especially due to the fact that my Dad has worked in the industry his entire life.” The Building Engineering Services Association
(BESA) has provided a platform to recognise the highest national scoring competitor and Chandler will be invited to receive his accolade at the BESA National Awards, taking place on November 1 at the Park Plaza Victoria London. Kevin Ballantine spent 15 years in other trades
before pursuing a career in RACHP, after his elder brother asked him to partner with him and start their own company, TKB Air Conditioning. Following a year on the tools, Kevin opted for a
course with Bath College. He notes: “We decided it would be beneficial for me to get a qualification in the industry to help us progress further. “I signed up to a two-year apprenticeship with a possibility of doing a third after. I’ve just completed my first year and it’s all going well so far.” Sam Gills is employed and trained by Star
Refrigeration – the UK’s largest independent industrial refrigeration engineering company – and has also qualified to compete in the SkillFRIDGE final. Sam has been an apprentice at Star
Refrigeration’s Newcastle branch for three years, and aims to complete his apprenticeship by his fourth year. Prior to starting his apprenticeship, Sam
September 2018
and has been an apprentice for two years. The security of a career in this vital sector was also a key consideration for Thomas, who continues: “Refrigeration is an industry that we will always need, and will only improve in the future.” Eastleigh College boasts a successful history within the SkillFRIDGE competition and this continues in 2018, with student Dominic Dray qualifying for this year’s final. Dominic works for Royale Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, and is halfway through his two year apprenticeship. He notes that he was drawn to the industry because he “wanted to get a trade, and this industry offers a bit of everything.” The sixth finalist for the SkillFRIDGE 2018
completed work experience at Star Refrigeration and enjoyed learning on the job and working on various refrigeration plants, cooling different applications. Variety was a key factor when it came to pursuing
his apprenticeship, as Sam notes: “Working on different sites and being involved in different service, maintenance and install tasks was a big attraction to me.” The diversity of a RACHP career also caught the
eye of another SkillFRIDGE finalist, Thomas Thompson, who studies at Grimsby Institute and is employed by Refrigeration Lindum – experts in commercial and industrial refrigeration, much of whose business is associated with the expanding fresh and frozen food industry. Thomas notes: “I was drawn to the trade because
of the range of skills I would be learning, for example both electrical and mechanical, as well as brazing and welding pipework.”
Thomas has just finished his Level 2 qualification
competition is Edward Davis, who studies at Cardiff and Vale College and is employed as an apprentice by Dunbia Foods, a meat processing factory in West Wales. He has just finished the second year of his two year apprenticeship, for which he was put forward by an on-site refrigeration engineer after showing an interest in how the ammonia plant operated. SkillFRIDGE competition operating partner (COP) manager Karena Cooper comments: “This year the regional competitions were a showcase of real talent, so qualifying for the final is a huge achievement for which our top six apprentices should be congratulated. “I’m looking forward to seeing to seeing their developing skills, knowledge and passion on display in November!” The six competitors will now undergo a series of intensive training days provided by industry experts in preparation for the final, taking place at WorldSkills UK LIVE – the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event which attracts over 73,000 young people annually – held at the NEC Birmingham from November 15 to 17. For more information on WorldSkills UK LIVE or to register to attend, visit
www.worldskillsuk.org For more information on the SkillFRIDGE
competition series, head to
www.skillfridge.co.uk
www.heatingandventilating.net
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