A talented Plumbing student from EKC Ashford College recently showcased his technical abilities and determination at the KFE4Skills competition, taking on a challenging industry-standard task alongside students from Colleges across the county.
Joshua, who is currently studying Level 3 Plumbing, competed in the competition back in March after securing first place in the East Kent Colleges Group qualifying round just weeks earlier.
During the event, competitors were tasked with completing a detailed plumbing installation, all while working to precise industry measurements and standards. For Joshua, the competition was an opportunity to put the practical skills he has developed at College into action in a high-pressure environment.
“We’ve been given a task which involves doing a series of bends and soldering in order with specific industry standards and trying to get to that measurement.” he explained.
Joshua told us the competition challenged students to demonstrate a range of essential trade skills, including planning, accuracy, problem-solving and resilience.
“Our bending and soldering skills, our ability to mark out and plan ahead are the main abilities that we have to use for this.” he said.
Competitions such as KFE4Skills provide students with invaluable experience beyond the classroom, helping them prepare for the realities of the industry while building confidence in their own abilities. Students are encouraged to work independently, manage pressure and adapt when things do not go to plan. All these qualities are what employers look for in the workplace.
We asked Joshua what are two of the most important characteristics needed to succeed in competitions like this and he said:
“Definitely persistence and patience, especially when it goes wrong, which it can do,” he explained, “It’s a competition, so being competitive by nature tends to help as well.”
The event also gave students the chance to compete against peers from other Colleges, allowing them to benchmark their skills and gain inspiration from others working within the trade.
“I don’t find it any different, I like competition as it is, so any competition I’m happy to compete in.” Joshua added.
For Joshua, one of the biggest benefits of taking part was the opportunity to continue improving and developing his skills.
“I enjoy just practising on my skills, any sort of developments are always positive, so I just try and take those positives out of it.”
Now in his second year of study after progressing from Level 2 Plumbing to Level 3, Joshua says the course has helped deepen both his practical and theoretical understanding of the industry.
“Level 3 is a lot more theory based and writing heavy,” he explained. “You need to have a lot more depth of knowledge as well as the actual knowledge itself.”
Looking ahead to the future, Joshua hopes to build a successful career in the plumbing industry and progress into specialist gas work.
“I want to into plumbing and then get my gas cert and become gas LPG qualified.” he told us.
Competitions like KFE4Skills are just one of the many ways students at EKC Ashford College can benefit from industry experience during their studies, helping them develop the technical skills, confidence and professionalism needed for their future careers.
To find out more about KFE4Skills and how competitions help students prepare for their chosen industry.
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