Youths’ solid foundations

Jul 9 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

A TRIO of Darlington College students have been recognised as the region’s best young builders at the recent regional heats of the SkillBuild competition.

Tested and recognised for skill accuracy and practical knowledge in their fields, Antony Timms, a student at Darlington College, won first place in the plastering category, Craig Dominick, who is also a student at the college won first place in the joinery category and Darren Smeadley, won first place in the junior bricklaying category.

Antony and Craig will now represent the North-east in the national final of the competition.

Antony, an apprentice with GWB Plastering and winner of the plastering category, said: “I’m really excited to have won and to be going through to compete for my region in the national Skillbuild final.

“Looking around at the other competitors projects, I didn’t expect to win as the standard of work was all very high.”

Craig added: “I thought I’d done well but I never thought that I would win. I entered the competition last year but didn’t get my project finished in time, so it was good to be asked to enter again. I got lots of support from my college and employer, Atkinson Joiners and I hope that by winning this competition it will help me to progress with my career more effectively.”

Another Darlington College student was also a runner up in the competition; John Nimmo was awarded third place in the senior bricklaying category.

Skillbuild, managed by ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for the construction industry, aims to promote excellence among young people entering the industry. Budding building idols competed against each other in a wide range of construction trades including bricklaying, carpentry, cabinet making, joinery and painting and decorating, at the regional heat held at Sunderland College.

More than 70 people from across the North-east entered the competition, which was open to all 17 to 21-year-old men and women currently training in construction through FE colleges or work-based apprenticeships at S/NVQ level 2-3.

Contestants registered via the ConstructionSkills website and turned up on the day with their tools.

Anthony, Craig and the four other people chosen as the North-east finalists in the competition’s other categories will now go on to compete against other regional winners in a major national final taking place in Leeds in October, in the hope of being crowned Britain’s Building Idol.

Apprenticeship manager for ConstructionSkills North East, Sarah Fenton said: “Britain has some extremely talented young tradespeople who deserve to be recognised for their skill and it was great to see so many people competing in the regional heats. The North-east construction industry needs 3,070 new recruits every year for the next five years in order to meet demand. Events such as Skillbuild are vital to help raise the profile of the industry and highlight the opportunities available to young people.”

National winners will go forward to represent their country in WorldSkills, the skills ‘Olympics’, held every two years in different cities across the world. The next WorldSkills will be held in 2009 in Calgary, Canada. In 2011, London is hosting WorldSkills.