York College trainees win places at UK final of Britain's biggest skills competition

Two York College construction students,
Anthony Jennings and Thomas Fowler, are preparing for one of the biggest battles of their careers after making it through to the UK final of SkillBuild, Britain's biggest construction skills competition.

The competition is a great opportunity for them to prove they are the best in their trade and it will help them to hone their skills and boost their career.

The competition is managed by CITB-ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the construction industry, and endorsed by WorldSkills UK. SkillBuild showcases the best talent the industry has to offer and helps to bring new blood into the industry.

Joinery student Anthony Jennings (whose apprenticeship is managed by CITB-ConstructionSkills) and painting and decorating student Thomas Fowler secured their places at the UK final, to be held at Leeds College of Building this month, following champion performances at the Yorkshire regional heat when they achieved some of the highest scores in their categories across the UK. They will be joined in the SkillBuild final by more than 100 trainees from across the country who were top of their fields in their respective regional heats in April and May. Anthony and Thomas are among eight trainees from the Yorkshire region who successfully won places at the UK final.

For employers, SkillBuild offers the opportunity to showcase their most talented trainees, as well as highlighting their commitment to training and excellence, which helps to provide a competitive edge in the current climate. For colleges it can enhance their reputation by demonstrating that their construction training is top quality.

Mick Hamill, regional delivery manager for CITB-ConstructionSkills in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “At a time when the news pages are full of stories about the need for construction companies to take on apprentices, SkillBuild is a great opportunity for colleges and companies to show off their talent and enhance their reputation by demonstrating that their construction training is top quality. This year’s final promises to be better than ever before. All trainees who have taken part in the competition have been outstanding and it showcases the professionalism and quality of the UK construction industry, which will help in our efforts to attract new recruits into the industry.”

Categories at this year’s SkillBuild final include bricklaying, cabinet making, carpentry, drywall systems, joinery, painting & decorating, plastering, stonemasonry, roofing, and wall and floor tiling.

SkillBuild is part of the WorldSkills UK competition, which is a series of around 70 quality assured skills competitions which take place in a diverse range of sectors from Construction and the Built Environment to Cultural and Creative Arts.

Outstanding competitors from this year’s competition could be selected to represent the UK at the next WorldSkills competition, which is due to take place in Leipzig, Germany in 2013, and follow the footsteps of previous SkillBuild winners who will be taking part in this year’s WorldSkills competition on 5 – 8 October 2011 at ExCeL in London.

Main sponsors for SkillBuild 2011 include British Gypsum, Crown Paints Ltd, the National Federation of Roofing Contractors and Stabila.