The hunt is on to find the most talented employees in the building services engineering sector, as SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, launches its 2010 Skill M&E competitions.

Skill M&E consists of four skills competitions that seek to find the finest mechanical and electrical engineers in the building services engineering sector.  During the competitions, entrants will be assessed on a series of practical tests reflecting their day to day work. 

The competitions are:

  • SkillPLUMB for the plumbing industry
  • SkillELECTRIC for the electrical industry
  • SkillFRIDGE for the refrigeration and air conditioning industry
  • SkillPIPE for the heating and ventilating industry

Held annually, Skill M&E brings valuable benefits to students, colleges and employers. Competitors gain recognition for exceptional skills, injecting dynamism and excitement into training, while employers enhance their business reputation and improve the skills of their workforce.

Neil Collishaw, Head of Competitions and Awards, SummitSkills, says: “The Skill M&E competitions provide a fantastic opportunity for employees in our sector to be rewarded for their exceptional skills and abilities, and they help drive high standards and skills development across the four industries, developing competence into excellence.

“We actively encourage employers to enter their talented employees, as the competitions inject excitement into the workforce and also help raise the profile of the businesses involved, and help improve the skills of the entire workforce.”

The highest scoring competitors at the 2010 competitions may have the opportunity to be selected to compete in the WorldSkills competition, to be held in London in 2011 (subject to WorldSkills age criteria). The 2008 SkillELECTRIC winner went on to win a Gold medal at WorldSkills in Calgary in 2009, a testament to the success of Skill M&E.

Entry forms must be submitted by 31 March 2010 – employers can call 01908 303960 for an entry pack, or visit the dedicated Skill M&E website for more details: www.skillMandE.org.uk.