Stuart Millar (employed by Shilliday Refrigeration) and Bryan Craig (employed by United Dairy Farmers) from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Lisburn Campus have won gold and silver medals in the SummitSkills UK SkillFRIDGE Competition held in Birmingham.

SkillFRIDGE is the national refrigeration and air conditioning practical skills competition designed to promote standards and skills in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry and is organised by Summit Skills the Sector Skills Council for the Building Engineering Services sector.

Already winners in their own right, Stuart and Bryan achieved success in the regional Skillbuild Northern Ireland National Competition held in May in South West College prior to being invited to compete in the National Final in July.

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The objective now for Stuart and Bryan is to be selected as the UK representive at WorldSkills which is the biggest vocational skills competition in the world. This biannual event is due to be held in October 2010 in London.

David Cooper Chairman of Skillbuild Northern Ireland Limited said: "Congratulations to both these students who won gold and silver medals in this specialist category.

"We have had a previous gold medal winner in refrigeration at national level but this is the first time we have achieved both first and second place in the same competition. Skillbuild Northern Ireland and SkillFRIDGE demonstrates the expertise and skill level of these individuals and is an excellent opportunity for young people to compete against each other at the highest levels.

"To have local employers and the training network represented by these young people in regional and national competitions also highlights the excellent training and commitment of the associated staff and can enhance their reputation by demonstrating their training is top quality."

Following on from the bronze medal success gained at last year's WorldSkills event held in Calgary, Canada by Fermanagh joiner Trevor Woods, a team of eight construction apprentices from across Northern Ireland has been chosen to participate in rigorous training and practical trials prior to potential selection to represent the UK in their specific trade areas of brickwork, cabinet making, carpentry, wall & floor tiling and refrigeration at WorldSkills 2011 in London.

(CD)