Six young refrigeration and air conditioning engineers have made it through the rigorous qualification process to the final, which will be held between November 19 and 22 – and whoever comes out on top could find themselves representing the UK at the Skills Olympics in Shanghai in 2026.

The qualifiers were held at the Beijer Ref training academy in Wetherby, West Yorkshire where contestants were put through their paces on a range of technical skills including fault finding and brazing. 34 entered at the start of the process and the final six are now gearing up for a two-day practical test to decide the overall winner.

The competition is sponsored by the F-Gas registration scheme REFCOM and was also supported by Mitsubishi Electric and BESA’s NextGen Network of young engineers. The latter’s chair Ryan Walton has already helped one entrant secure a work experience placement.

Contestants also received an award for their contribution and participation at last month’s BESA Industry Awards in London.

WorldSkills UK competitions are designed to help young people in a range of technical industries grow personally and professionally by developing their technical and employability skills. The competition-based development programme also has a strong track record of supporting young people from all backgrounds and abilities.

BESA was chosen as an organising partner for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning sector, and the annual competition has been set up to celebrate both emerging and existing technical skills.

Candidates are assessed by a panel of expert judges who witness them taking on tasks inspired by real-life industry scenarios. These test a wide range of skills, including fault finding/diagnosis, fabrication, and equipment service and maintenance.

“WorldSkills has been an inspiration and incentive to thousands of young engineers for many years and, arguably, its competition-based format is more important than ever,” said Walton. “Our industry is facing skills challenges on multiple fronts, and it is vital that we both showcase the high level of existing talent in the sector and promote the exciting and rewarding careers available in refrigeration and air conditioning.

“I am delighted and proud that BESA’s NextGen Network is playing an important role in helping to support and develop the next generation of highly skilled operatives who will be instrumental in delivering a more resilient, sustainable, and high-quality built environment.”