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Footage, and reflections on the event

Developing students' T-shaped and vocational skills through competitions

Plumbing Team

This project saw L1 Plumbing students participate in a skills competition, in which they could test their and apply their subject knowledge in challenging situations. A key aspect of this was to explore the impact this competition had on their learning, both in terms of vocational knowledge and T-shaped skills development.

Planning was crucial, and helped inform the brief that students were given on the day of the competition and how they were judged. A link to the planning document can be found below. 

Student feedback

What do you think you’ve gained from taking part in the competition?

  • knowledge

  • Confidence

  • I gained experience in working fast and efficiently.

  • a bit more experience

  • i gained skills working in a team

  • how to work with a partner, and confidence

  • ive gained a lot of confidence and staying in track with time

  • i gained the expreience of working in pressure

  • What I have gained is confidence when it comes to time keeping

  • Working with a partner, and being able to use time efficiently


This kind of task is usually completed individually, but today you were working in pairs. How did you find working as a team? What was made easier as a result of working collaboratively?

  • a lot quicker and more controlled

  • i found working as a team good as I had someone to test my work

  • easier then usual because we could actually communicate

  • I found it irritating, but i found it fun because, we think quite alike and since we are close friends we got it he way we wanted i from both sides, without arguing.

  • it was better because the work was divided evenly and done faster

  • I found working as a team better as you communicate better and spot more mistakes

  • It was more easily done because we could use teamwork, and your partner could do another part of the work, while you did another

  • good and my partner was very helpful

What will you do differently the next time you work on a copper frame?

  • make sure I check and keep calm.

  • Will not burn the paper next time.

  • double check work finishing

  • We didn't make an mistakes really, however we just improved our writing plan. because we wanted to put our point across effectively.

  • measure the copper pipes correctly and make sure there pushed into the fitting

  • make sure the drawing is accurate so the frame is accurate  

  • Actually fit the copper pipe into the fittings, and to try not to burn the sheet (wallpaper)

  • too take more care with it

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