Skillbuild Triumph for National Construction College Trainees

National Construction College’s (NCC) roofing students have been recognised as some of the nation’s best young construction tradespeople at the recent Skillbuild national competition final, 11-13 October.

Flying the flag for NCC were eight students from the college’s Scotland, South and Midlands campuses recognised for their skill accuracy and practical knowledge in their field. The judges awarded:

• David Hayden, NCC South (Built Up Felt Roofing category) and

• Gordon Byrne and Richard Rae, NCC Scotland, Roof Sheeting and Cladding team category) with gold medals for their outstanding efforts.

Five further NCC students were runners up in the final, winning either silver or bronze medals in their categories. All of the college’s entrants to the national final were winners from their regional heats held across the UK since the beginning of the year.

Founded in 1981, the national Skillbuild competition, which is partly sponsored by CITB-ConstructionSkills, aims to promote excellence among young people entering the construction industry. More than 100 apprentices from 11 different trades competed against each other over three days of competition for the coveted national champion in their trade.

The final was held between 11 and 13 October at Barnfield College in Luton and formed part of National Construction Week (NCW), which aims to highlight to young people the range of career opportunities available to them in the construction industry.

Area manager of the National Construction College South, Stuart Mansbridge, said: “The students and instructors at each of our colleges have worked incredibly hard this year so we are very proud of their achievements at this Skillbuild competition.

“According to the latest figures from the Construction Skills Network Report, 87,000 new people are needed in craft, technical and management roles every year for the next four years, so it is important that these young achievers act as role models for young people considering construction as a future career option.”

Skills Minister Phil Hope MP, who attended this year’s Skillbuild, said: “The construction industry offers such a variety of career options for young people and Skillbuild provides an ideal platform to showcase these opportunities. It is essential we encourage young people to join the industry in order to avoid a potential skills shortage in construction. The achievements of these tradesmen and women of the future displayed at this year’s final will hopefully inspire others to choose a career in construction too.”

As the direct training division of CITB-ConstructionSkills, the college is the largest provider of construction training in Europe, offering both young apprentices and adult students a wide range of specialist courses. The college has five sites across the country, which, along with 60 other locations and through internet based learning, provides training for more than 35,000 people per year.

To find out more about the courses and training on offer please call 0870 4166222 or visit www.citb-constructionskills.co.uk .

A full list of winners, along with high-resolution photography, is available at www.skillbuild.org