Perth student wins silver at national plumbing competition

Kyle McGeoghie, a third year Perth College UHI Plumbing apprentice, recently won Silver at the UK SkillPLUMB final held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Kyle once again demonstrated a high level of skills after successfully winning the Scottish heat held in June.

Kyle, 21, said: “I enjoyed the week and met some great people. It was challenging working under pressure to produce the best quality of work that I could. I’m really pleased to take away a Silver Medal with me this year, especially after it was such a very close competition.”

The event this year tasked the eight finalists with installing and designing an unvented hot water plumbing and heating system with dimensional tolerances of two millimetres, a World Skills standard.

Gordon Nisbet, Plumbing and Gas Lecturer at Perth College UHI, said: “Kyle executed the tasks set before him very, very well. To win an award in a UK final, you have to be performing at an exceptional level and have the ability to cope with, and overcome high-pressure situations.

“The standard of work was extremely high this year. The SkillPLUMB judge for UK Skills indicated that the total marks for each competitor was much higher this year compared to previous years. Kyle’s conduct was also exemplary during the three days of competition; he was a very good ambassador for his employer William Combe & Son Ltd, Auchterarder and Perth College UHI.

“This is a fantastic achievement and one that Kyle is rightly very proud of.”

This is the fourth time in seven years that one of Perth College UHI’s plumbing students has qualified for the UK SkillPLUMB final.