Hosted across three days, the qualifying stage brings together candidates aged 18 to 41 – the most age-diverse cohort the competition has seen – reflecting the widening demographic of the RACHP workforce. The event is organised by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and forms part of the global WorldSkills programme, backed by Baxi as primary investment partner alongside in-kind support from other industry organisations.

Competitors will complete two timed tasks of two and a half hours each, covering real-world scenarios including fault diagnosis, component replacement, electrical testing, and refrigeration pipework fabrication with pressure testing. Judges from Beijer Ref, Danfoss, Daikin, Maple Mechanical, Catalent, Grange Designs, Shelly Group and Baxi will assess performance throughout the heats. The full list of competitors is available via ACR News.

The top six scorers will progress to the UK final in Wales this November, where bronze, silver and gold medals will be awarded. Those under 21 who achieve above-average scores will also be considered for the UK squad preparing for the 2028 Skills Olympics in Aichi, Japan.

“We are delighted to be hosting the largest ever field of competitors for WorldSkills UK,” said Kevin Morrissey, BESA’s technical director. “This demonstrates the strength of emerging talent in our industry, and I would like to congratulate all 18 who have made it this far.”

Baxi’s product, solutions and marketing director Paul Haynes said the competition highlights the importance of developing engineering talent as the UK transitions to clean heat and hot water technologies.

The RACHP competition places particular emphasis on hands-on skills such as brazing, pipework, servicing and troubleshooting complex systems. Many entrants say the variety and problem-solving nature of the work drew them into the industry, with one competitor describing the satisfaction of “being given a specific problem and working through it to get a positive result”.