A HAMPSHIRE student has made it through to the final of a renowned national competition.

Eastleigh College student Stephen Taylor will represent the college at the SkillFridge National Final in November.

The 19-year-old from Havant was one of the four Refrigeration and Air Conditioning students from Eastleigh College who went head to head in a competition for a spot at the final.

Stephen Taylor, along with four Level 2 apprentices, Jack Culhane, Bayley Mummery, Jake Gorman and David Couch, were set tasks such as pipework and brazing tests, as well as testing refrigerant systems for pressure and leaks to industry safety standards.

After a whole day of maintenance challenges and pipe work fabrication, Stephen was awarded first prize.

He said: “It feels good to have won, I put a lot of effort in. The competition has boosted my confidence. I did it last year as well, and it was really helpful getting tips from the judges, which I’ve now put into practice.”

Kelvin Kelly, one of the judges and training director at Business Edge, said: “I was impressed by the students’ enthusiasm, I could see they enjoyed it and found it a challenge.”

The students were also judged by Mark Forsyth, SkillFridge National Manager; Steven Burge, ex-Eastleigh College student and WorldSkills National team member 2013; Veronika Grozeva, Datateam Marketing and Derek Davies from Flame Brazing Services.