THE winners of SkillBuild ’21 – the annual construction contest managed by the CITB – have been announced.
53 participants from across the UK entered the competition, held this year at the National Construction College in Bircham Newton. Trainees and apprentices were tested against the clock in their chosen trades over three days.
The medallists were announced at an online event by TV presenter Steph McGovern.
Announcing the medallists Steph said, “The winners would be part of the best contact book you could ever have. If you’re looking for a bricklayer, you’re going to go for one of the country’s best. These are the skills that everyone is crying out for.”
SkillBuild is run in collaboration with WorldSkills UK.
CITB chief executive Tim Balcon said, “SkillBuild brings the best out of the UK’s most promising construction trainees and apprentices. It teaches them to use their skills under pressure, to work to deadlines and to produce high quality work. The talent on display in this year’s competition was a credit to competitors and their trainers. It augurs well for industry, too.
“There are great opportunities for skilled construction workers in the UK. Demand for labour is high as the economy recovers from the pandemic. CITB estimates that over 40,000 new construction jobs will be created between now and 2025. It’s important that we increase the number of people in construction, the example of SkillBuild competitors will help do that. I wish all the competitors the very best in their careers.”
The SkillBuild Gold medal winners were as follows:
Scotland
Painting and Decorating: Nicole Smith. Bell Group UK
England
Bricklaying: Mitchell Proctor. Preston’s College
Carpentry: Charlie Reeve. E N Suiter
CBM Furniture and Cabinet making: Michael Jack. Talbot Burnley College
Joinery: Sam Abbott. North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College – Harrowbrook Plastering: Sam Dean. Wigan and Leigh College – Pagefield Centre
Stonemasonry: Lewis Evans. Bath College – Radstock
Wales
FSW – Foundation Skills: Woodworking: Ben Thewlis. Coleg Gwent – Newport
Northern Ireland
Plastering & Drywall systems: Ignas Kurasovas. Errigal Contracts
Wall & Floor tiling: Aaron Gillespie. Southern Regional College – Newry Campus
The full list of Gold, Silver, Bronze & Highly Commended contestants is on the Go Construct site.
