(Picture: Pictured after receiving his gold medal is Dillon Newton with Neil Collishaw BPEC CEO (left) and Mark Griffin of Preferrred Heating (proper))
The SkillPLUMB 2025 UK Champion and gold medal winner has been named as Dillon Newton of the Cornwall Faculty Group.
The silver medal was awarded to Jackson Gill of New Faculty Durham and CGE Yorkshire Ltd; whereas bronze medal went to Jack Fenton of Belfast Metropolitan Faculty and Ian Reid Heating.
Throughout two and a half days at Bridgend Faculty, rivals needed to deal with a complicated plumbing set up process and in addition reveal low carbon information in a warmth pump process developed in collaboration with Preferrred Heating.
The SkillPLUMB ultimate was considered one of round 40 WorldSkills UK Nationwide Finals held throughout South Wales. Rivals from all occasions together with their supporters gathered on the WorldSkills UK Medal Ceremony on the Worldwide Conference Centre in Newport.
SkillPLUMB is organised by trade charity BPEC and is a part of the WorldSkills UK competitors framework. The occasion has Preferrred Heating as its headline sponsor and is supported by different trade sponsors together with Muller Europe, Monument Instruments, DeWalt, McAlpine, APHC, JIB-PMES, SNIPEF, Water Protected and CIPHE.
Talking of his win, Dillon mentioned: “It feels completely wonderful to have gained. It was probably the most nervous I’ve been for a really very long time however your entire week was such an unbelievable expertise. I’d actually prefer to thanks Dave Hitchens from my school, he helped me good the Monument pipe benders and their measure-backs, and he’s additionally been actually supportive all through the week and for the 4 years of my apprenticeship. Additionally due to BPEC and all of the SkillPLUMB sponsors for giving myself and the opposite apprentices the chance to showcase their skillset.”
Neil Collishaw, CEO of BPEC, mentioned: “Nicely finished to all rivals who displayed some glorious expertise over the course of the finals. Our supporters, expertise champions and prospects have been additionally capable of witness their efficiency first-hand by way of our VIP occasion throughout the week so we’d additionally prefer to congratulate the finalists on being incredible ambassadors for our trade. Thanks additionally to our host Bridgend Faculty and our sponsors, specifically Preferrred Heating for his or her great help.”
Andrew Johnson, Coaching and Design Companies Director of Preferrred Heating, added: ““It was an honour to go to the UK ultimate and see the technical expertise demonstrated by our rivals; they actually needs to be happy with themselves. I feel it’s actually vital that the trade has someplace that engineers, and apprentices specifically, can showcase their skills and work in direction of excellence.
“Occasions like SkillPLUMB assist them regularly observe and harness new expertise, while demonstrating to others what is feasible, serving to raise requirements and expectations throughout the board. We have been delighted as soon as once more to ship the warmth pump process to assist begin embedding low carbon ideas with the finalists, as they’ll undoubtedly begin to encounter this extra within the office.”
SkillPLUMB is open to plumbing apprentices and Degree 2 or 3 plumbing college students. Subsequent yr’s competitors will open in March 2026. To search out out extra go to www.bpec.org.uk/skillplumb