Australia stands proud at WorldSkills

Australian air conditioning technician Tom Clancy upheld Australia’s reputation for quality refrigeration work at the WorldSkills international competition at the Chillventa exhibition in Nuremberg in October 2022.

Although he did not bring home the gold, he delivered impeccable work under the high-pressure conditions of international competition. His mid-field result among 16 finalists reflected the quality of his work, while the winners earned their medals by working at exceptional speed.

Tom was accompanied by his parents (and employers) Chris and Gaye Clancy from Central West Refrigeration in Perth, and his training manager Carl Balke, who was also Australia’s international WorldSkills expert judge at the competition.

Carl said Tom’s work was immaculate. “That’s Tom all over – he dresses immaculately, his van is immaculate, and his work is immaculate,” he said. “In competition like this, speed counts, but in the real world it’s the quality that counts, and that’s where Tom is definitely a winner.” Carl added that Tom’s success could not have happened without the support of Kirby HVACR, Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, RACCA, ARC, TAFE Qld, TAFE WA and the many other supporters of his 3-year WorldSkills journey.

The competition began with a coil fabrication challenge before the main challenge of building those coils into a refrigeration system. The design was created by WorldSkills International’s RAC Skills Competition Manager, Noel Munkman – ARC’s own Technical and Training Manager – although this was no advantage to Tom since the design was a tightly held secret.

A special benefit for the WorldSkills finalists was the opportunity to see the latest technology at Chillventa, the World’s largest HVAC&R exhibition, as Noel provided time in their schedule specifically for this purpose.