Construction Industry welcomes SkillBuild apprentice competition

As Gordon Brown advances his apprenticeship drive, ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry is launching Britain’s biggest skills competition, SkillBuild. Apprentices and trainees from across the UK will be battling it out to become this year’s best tradesperson and fly the flag for their region.

The competition, which has been running for more than 20 years, is an opportunity to recognise the importance of apprentices and their skills. It also provides a platform for companies to highlight the quality of their workforce and commitment to training – which is essential in the current climate to provide businesses with a competitive edge.

SkillBuild Chair and MD of Carpentry Management Contracting (CMC) Ltd, Martyn Price said: “SkillBuild is a fantastic opportunity to encourage and recognise excellence, as well as help develop the future talent of the industry. SkillBuild celebrates apprenticeships, which are pivotal to generating a skilled workforce. Government is committed to seeing the number of apprenticeships increase significantly, with one in five young people taking them up by 2013.”

SkillBuild is open to construction trainees of any age (entrants to WorldSkills must be under 22) and entries for this year’s competition are now open. Last year more than one thousand apprentices entered and demonstrated their skills in carpentry, bricklaying and plastering, to name but a few.

ConstructionSkills is now encouraging companies of all sizes to enter their most talented apprentices so they can battle it out for the coveted title of best trainee tradesperson in their field. Women are particularly encouraged to enter this year after only one female winner last year out of a possible 36 medals. The entrants will be leading the way for skills in their region of the UK – to prove just where Britain’s top construction talent lies. National winners from this year’s competition could also be in with a chance of competing in the 2011 international WorldSkills competition.

The regional heats for this year’s SkillBuild will take place between April and July and will culminate with the national final in October, which will take place in Scotland. The competition is managed by ConstructionSkills.

Following a medal win at last year’s SkillBuild final, Neil Macartney, a NVQ Level 3 Bench Joinery apprentice and student at Acton & West London College, has proved he is one of the best in the industry by being selected to represent the UK and compete at WorldSkills in Calgary, Canada in October 2009.

Speaking about his experiences, Neil said: “SkillBuild proved to be a fantastic opportunity for both myself and my employer. I have learnt to work on challenging projects under a lot of pressure, which I have been able to transfer to the workplace. As a result, my employer now gives me more difficult jobs and I have increased in confidence and of course, skills.”

Martin O’Brien, Managing Director of Raphael Contracting Ltd, is entering an apprentice, Sean Crossan, in this year’s SkillBuild. He said: “SkillBuild is a fantastic opportunity for both my apprentice and for my company. As seen previously the competition really helps apprentices develop their skills and the recognition of the high quality workmanship adds to a company’s reputation and sets you apart from the rest, which is particularly important in the current climate.”

Please visit www.cskills.org/skillbuild to find out more information about the competition and to download an entry form.