Fridgies of the future

The WorldSkills Australia National Competition was held from 6-8 October at Melbourne Showgrounds with the support of the Victorian Government.

The event was the culmination of months of training for over 500 competitors from across Australia who earned their spot in Melbourne after achieving success at the regional level in 2015. Competitors were aged between 16-24 years and represented over 60 trades and skills.

Entrants spent a total of 16-20 hours across three days completing projects aligned with National Training Packages. WorldSkills was overseen by 300 judges and assisted by 120 dedicated volunteers who act as judges, team leaders and mentors, assisting with everything from providing essential materials and equipment, to answering queries and giving tours throughout the three days of competition.



From L to R: Nathan McHugh (GOLD), DTM Air Services & TAFE QLD Skills Tech; Hayden McColl (SILVER), Refrigeration House of Queensland & TAFE QLD SkillsTech; Matthew Cleave (BRONZE), Commercial Air Mechanical Services & TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute.

The refrigeration and air conditioning component of WorldSkills had already taken place at ARBS where it is afforded its own showcase at the expo. At the October event, the RAC winners from ARBS – Nathan, Hayden and Matthew - did a demonstration of their ARB’s winning projects, with gold medallist Nathan gearing up for his stint at the international WorldSkills competition being held in Abu Dhabi in 14-19 October 2017

ARC Manager recognised at WorldSkills

At a VIP function at the end of the competition, WorldSkills CEO, Brett Judd presented Noel Munkman, ARC Technical and Training Manager, with one of the first 20 Life Memberships ever to be awarded to WorldSkills volunteers. Life Memberships are awarded to those who have made a significant difference to the WorldSkills event over a long period. Noel has been involved in regional, national and international WorldSkills competitions since 1989 as a refrigeration judge, chief judge, team leader and assistant technical delegate.

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