Three employees from BakerHicks, the multi-disciplinary design and engineering company, are among the 137 young people named on the UK squad for WorldSkills 2021.
Darren Houston, Mona Nawaz and Connor Patterson have been selected for the UK BIM team following their strong performances at the regional and national legs of the competition series. They will now embark upon an 18-month training period, at the end of which one of them will be selected to represent the UK at the WorldSkills competition, which will take place in Shanghai on 22-27 September 2021.
Martin Lubieniecki, managing director at BakerHicks, said: “It’s fantastic to see BakerHicks employees taking up all three spots on the BIM squad. I know Darren, Mona and Connor have put a huge amount of work into this and their selection is thoroughly deserved. I look forward to seeing all three progress as a result of this experience.”
The WorldSkills series pits the best students from across the globe against each other in a competitive scenario, with the aim of promoting skilled careers and fostering excellence in trades.
The BIM competition tests competitors on their ability to produce, coordinate and quality check multiple 3D project information models whilst working in a Common Data Environment, including configuring and inputting classification and asset information. Competitors are also judged on their ability to demonstrate a full understanding of and ability to use the BS/PAS 1192 suite and ISO 19650-1 and 19560-2 BIM standards in a range of situations.
Trevor Strahan, head of BIM at BakerHicks, said the WorldSkills series is a great training ground: “Through setting tests based on real-world industry challenges the series provides competitors with a real insight into what they can expect once they enter the industry. For us as employers this experience is invaluable.
“WorldSkills has a huge role to play in the development of future talent for our industry and we’re very proud to support the series.”
