SkillPLUMB 2019 finalists Connor Cruden and Sam Henderson are nearing the latter stages of the WorldSkills UK squad selection.
They will compete at a final event in Northern Ireland at the end of this month to decide which one of them will take part in WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.
Connor from Moray College and Cowie Plumbing & Heating, and Sam from Tullos Training and Derek Scott Plumbing & Heating both came through the Scottish regional SkillPLUMB 2019 competition. They are SNIPEF plumbing apprentices, and formed part of the highest scoring eight competitors from all the UK-wide heats in that competition cycle to progress to the UK final at the Skills Show in Birmingham, with Connor winning the Gold Medal that year.
All eligible SkillPLUMB UK finalists can be considered for the next stage which is the biannual WorldSkills competition. Due to the pandemic, WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 was postponed by one year to allow for all member countries to recalibrate their competition activity, and the 46th WorldSkills Competition is now taking place in Shanghai, 12-17 October 2022.
As part of their ongoing training process, Connor and Sam took part in a recent WorldSkills virtual international friendly training event alongside plumbing competitors from Chinese Taipei, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, enjoying the experience and scoring highly.
“Connor and Sam are a credit to their employers and colleges, and fantastic ambassadors for the UK plumbing industry and anyone considering a career in our industry. They are both very talented and I’m sure that whichever one of them represents the UK at WorldSkills 2022 will continue the fantastic results we’ve had with previous SkillPLUMB competitors,” commented Neil Collishaw, BPEC CEO. “They and their tutors and employers should be extremely proud of the quality of skill and dedication they have displayed.”