The future looks bright - young fridgie cool in the heat

The outstanding performances of the 2017 ‘Skillaroos’ and their experts at the 44th WorldSkills International competition in Abu Dhabi has propelled Australia into the top 10 skill nations in the world.

Nathan McHugh, Australia’s refrigeration competitor, scored 84.91%, and came 7th out of 23 competitors. Nathan, who was a student at TAFE Qld SkillsTech and employed by DTM Air Services in southern Queensland, was awarded a Medallion of Excellence for his performance in the 4-day competition.

In preparation for this competition he worked closely with his mentor and WorldSkills Australia’s International Expert, Carl Balke and his fellow teachers at TAFE Qld SkillsTech in Brisbane and well as WorldSkills Australia’s previous International Judges, Chris MacDonald from City Holdings and Noel Munkman from ARC.

The refrigeration competitors were tested on their air conditioning and refrigeration skills through a series of stand-alone modules over four days. These tests included brazing, equipment knowledge, installation, commissioning and adjustment, fault finding and component replacement. The main project was to install and commission an ice tank system with heat recovery.

Overall results for Australia’s 18 competitors saw it ranked 10th in the world, out of a total of 77 competing countries. Prior to the event, Australia was ranked 12th in the world. This is an outstanding achievement by Nathan and the whole team which included silver medals for carpentry and industrial millwright, and bronze medals for beauty therapy and bricklaying.

A WorldSkills media release said “The jump from 12th at the 2015 São Paulo competition to 10th in this year’s International competition has ensured that Australia is continuing to build its reputation for skills and trades on the international stage, cementing the continued importance of Vocational Education Training (VET) for the nation’s future prosperity.”

For more information, visit: www.worldskills.org.au



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