The 19-year-old triumphed in a closely contested event held at Oldham College as part of the WorldSkills UK National Finals.
David, who previously earned a Highly Commended mention at the 2023 finals, returned stronger this year to win the Northern Ireland heat and take the top spot at the UK final.
Competitors faced a demanding plumbing installation task and, for the first time, a heat pump module developed with Ideal Heating, showcasing their low carbon knowledge.
Medal winners announced
In a tight competition, the silver medals went to Shaun Wilcox (Moray College UHI / Moray Council), Elliot Julian (Cornwall College / Nicholls Plumbing & Heating), and Jackson Gill (New College Durham / CGE Yorkshire Ltd).
Bronze medals were awarded to Jack Fenton (Belfast Metropolitan College / Ian Reid Heating), Samuel Page (Suffolk New College / Whitwell Services), and Dillon Newton (Cornwall College / Justin Eyre Plumbing & Heating).
Supporting industry innovation
The SkillPLUMB final, organised by BPEC and sponsored by Ideal Heating, highlighted the importance of emerging technologies in the plumbing industry.
Neil Collishaw, CEO of BPEC, said: “This year at the final we saw an unprecedented standard of excellence, with competitors demonstrating remarkable skill and dedication. It was great to see so many visitors to the competition, and we are very grateful for the support from our sponsors.
“In particular, I’d like to thank our headline sponsor Ideal Heating for incorporating a brand-new heat pump module at the UK finals.
“We are very proud of all eight SkillPLUMB finalists. They all performed superbly and are great role models and ambassadors for our industry.”
Andrew Johnson, training director at Ideal Heating, added: “This competition is the pinnacle event for the industry. It showcases skills, encourages competitors to be the best they can be, and drives up standards back in the workplace.
“Across our training centres currently, we are witnessing great interest in heat pumps – around 70% of our training activity is heat pump related.
“So, we were delighted to work with SkillPLUMB and BPEC this year to introduce these concepts to competitors and start raising awareness of this growing element of the industry.”
Image: SkillPLUMB