SummitSkills celebrated the talent and exceptional standards of work of employees in the building services engineering sector at its annual Awards for Excellence on 16 November.
This year SummitSkills was proud to hold its awards as part of the WorldSkills UK Skills Show event at the NEC in Birmingham. The Skills Show also hosted 60 skills competitions, including the four organised by SummitSkills - SkillELECTRIC, SkillFRIDGE, SkillPIPE and SkillPLUMB.

Chief executive of SummitSkills, Keith Marshall OBE, said: 'It was very encouraging to see that so many employers continue to invest in their employees, despite the ongoing challenging financial climate. These awards are a reminder of the outstanding talent and commitment of individuals working in our sector today.'

All the short-listed candidates of the Awards for Excellence arrived for a VIP reception and enjoyed lunch before the awards ceremony. After the event many took the opportunity to look around the Skills Show.

The awards were presented by representatives from a range of organisations: Gail Cartmail from Unite the union, Andy Sneyd and Andy Blunsden from B&ES, Iain MacDonald from NET, Carilyn Clements from CIBSE and Margaret Manly from the Manly Trust.

The award winners and highly commended candidates were:

Experienced Existing Worker of the Year (Mechanical) - David Matthews (winner) - Michael Backland (highly commended)

Experienced Existing Worker of the Year (Electrical) - Paul Nicoll (winner) - Dave Brooker (highly commended)

Technician Engineer of the Year - Kayley Lockhead (winner) - Philip York (highly commended)

The Alfred Manly Management Award - Mark Roddy (winner) - Jason Davies (highly commended)

Professional Engineer of the Year Award - Paul Eagle (winner) - Ashley Mitchell (highly commended)

Environmental Excellence Award - Chris Coath (winner) - Jason Hodds (highly commended)