The winners of this year’s SkillBuild National Finals have been announced by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), following an intense three-day competition at this year’s WorldSkills UK LIVE.
The largest multi-trade competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices, SkillBuild encompasses competitions across 10 trades:
- Bricklaying – Gold: Adam Batty, Barnsley College
- Carpentry – Gold: Cai Henshaw, Grwp Llandrillo Menai
- Furniture and Cabinet Making – Gold: Jack Eggleston, Cornwall College
- Joinery – Gold: Alex Howe, West Suffolk College
- Painting and Decorating – Gold: Gatis Celmins, Inverness College UHI
- Plastering – Gold: Raymond Stirling, City of Glasgow College
- Plastering and Drywall Systems – Gold: Brendan Duddy, North West Regional College
- Roof Slating and Tiling – Gold: Philip Houghton, Eastern Region Training Group and Jordan Condren, Newcastle College
- Stonemasonry – Gold: James Digger, York College
- Wall and Floor Tiling – Gold: Dylan Calvert, Southern Regional College
The SkillBuild competitions were sponsored by supporters including Dickies Workwear, which provided clothing and safety footwear for all competitors, plus judges and delivery team members.
Nick James, Partnership Director at CITB, said: “It’s great to see such talented people from across the UK nations come together for the National Final of SkillBuild. These competitions offer an opportunity for trainees and apprentices to demonstrate their skills and gain their first steps into the industry. We are also grateful to have a globally recognised brand like Dickies, working in association with SkillBuild to provide appropriate workwear for staff and competitors.”
“Our sponsorship of SkillBuild is a big part of our efforts to raise the profile of the construction trades as an excellent career choice and to help trainee tradespeople to feel pride in what they do,” said James Whitaker, Marketing Director, Dickies Workwear.
“As well as providing the practicality, comfort and safety the competitors relied on to support them throughout the competition, our workwear also helped them to look professional throughout. We would like to congratulate each of this year’s winners plus wish the best of luck to everyone who took part for their future careers.”
