Finding Britain's Building Idol

 “SkillBuild has definitely helped me to push myself….a whole new sense of responsibility.” This may not be the sort of comment you’d expect from a teenager, but is just one of the comments made by talented construction apprentices on entering SkillBuild, Britain’s biggest skills competition.

SkillBuild 2008 reached its conclusion on 1st – 3rd October. During this time, young apprentices from all over the UK came to Leeds College of Building to compete to be named Britain’s ‘Building Idol’ – and add a prestigious accolade to their CV.

Slating and Tiling gold medallist Martin Quinn, who also won the prestigious Frank Eaton Memorial Trophy said: “This was the first time I entered SkillBuild. My heart was absolutely pounding tonight, I was so nervous. I can’t believe I won and my parents will be so proud! I really enjoyed meeting all the other people in the final as well.”

This year, ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry, has taken over management of SkillBuild. The competition forms part of their ongoing strategy to encourage more young people to consider training for a career in the construction industry, and to boost the skills of those already in training.

Peter Rogerson, Deputy Chairman of ConstructionSkills says:  “SkillBuild is Britain’s biggest skills competition and we want to see it grow massively in the run up to the worldwide competition, WorldSkills, in London in 2011. To help ensure Britain wins a host of medals there, we want to build momentum over the next three years by attracting as many young apprentices as possible to enter the competition.”

“Britain has some very talented young tradespeople who deserve to be recognised – and SkillBuild can really add an extra dimension to a young tradespersons CV. Not only that, it is an opportunity for employers and colleges to show their commitment to training and excellence whilst developing skills among their workforce and student bodies. ”

The national final is the culmination of a series of regional heats that took place this summer. In fact, the hunt for the country’s best construction apprentices saw a panel of judges visit 11 regions of the UK, secure the involvement of 130 colleges and many more employers besides, and entries from over one thousand 17-22 year old men and women who are currently training in construction.

The regional winners and runners were invited to attend the SkillBuild Final to compete across 11 construction trades - Bricklaying, Cabinet Making, Carpentry, Joinery, Painting and Decorating, Plastering, Stone Masonry, Roof Slating & Tiling, Roof Sheeting & Cladding, Built Up Felt Roofing, Reinforced Bitumen Membrane Roofing and Wall & Floor Tiling.

The winners in each of these competitions are then put forward for the chance to represent the UK in WorldSkills – the Skills Olympics. WorldSkills is held every two years in different cities across the world. The 2009 competition will be held in Calgary, Canada and in 2011, will be held here in the UK.

1994 SkillBuild winner, Ian Knapper is one of the country’s most talented stonemasons. Having experienced the competition first hand, he has encouraged his own apprentices to take part. He says:

“Taking part in SkillBuild gives young people more confidence in their work, and it’s great for their personal development. It opens their eyes to new skills and techniques and they get to meet all sorts of people from the construction industry. Young apprentices today have a really exciting opportunity to broaden their horizons and improve their skills by getting involved.”

Ends

For further information contact:
Clare McLean / Magdalen Bush / Jo Naughton on 020 7534 0620
cmclean@eloquipr.co.uk / mbush@eloquipr.co.uk / jnaughton@eloquipr.co.uk

Note to editors

About ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills is the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry. It is UK-wide and represents the whole industry from professional consultancies to major contractors and SMEs. Established as a Sector Skills Council in 2003, ConstructionSkills is working to deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified construction workforce.

The construction sector is central to the UK economy, generating almost 9% of UK GDP and with a turnover of more than £203bn a year. It employs 2.5 million people and requires nearly 42,000 new entrants per year to 2012, as forecast by our Construction Skills Network.
You can find out more about SkillBuild and ConstructionSkills at www.cskills.org/skillbuild.