Contestants from across the College’s campuses competed against peers, to be in with the chance to make it to the regional competition. The regional competition is set to take place on Tuesday 21st May at South West College’s Enniskillen campus.
Categories participating in the SkillBuild competition included brickwork, cabinet making, carpentry, joinery, wall & floor tiling, painting & decorating, plastering, plumbing pipework, electrical installation and light motor vehicles.
Success at the inter-campus competition is the first step towards competing on the WorldSkills stage. Successful competitors at SkillBuild will be benchmarked against competitors from Northern Ireland’s other Further Education Colleges by the Construction Industry Training Board. The results will determine who will represent the region at national and international levels.
There now remains an anxious wait before it’s known whether local students will progress to the regional competition. Local students successful in the SkillBuild competition hoping to progress include:
FIRST PLACE
Cabinet Making: Odhran Campbell (Forkhill), L2 Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
Plastering: Matthew McCready (Kilcoo), L2 Plastering Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
Plumbing Pipework: Andrew Houston (Kilkeel), L3 Domestic Plumbing & Heating Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
SECOND PLACE
Wall & Floor Tiling: Dean Frazer (Newtownhamilton), L2 Wall & Floor Tiling Traineeship, Greenbank.
Plastering: Thomas Maguire (Newry), L2 Plastering Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
Plumbing Pipework: John McKee (Kilkeel), L3 Domestic Plumbing & Heating Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
Motor Vehicle Light: James McCartan (Annalong), L2 Light Vehicle Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
THIRD PLACE
Carpentry: Junior Swain (Ballyward), L2 Carpentry & Joinery, Greenbank
Plastering: Aiden McCabe (Newry), L2 Plastering Apprenticeship, Greenbank
Plumbing Pipework: Jordon Nummy (Newry), L2 Domestic Plumbing & Heating Apprenticeship, Greenbank.
Rachel Dorovatas, Director of Industry Training & Support at CITB NI, attended the competition and praised the participants for their high standards of skills.
Rachel commented: “We are continuously impressed by the standard of skills demonstrated by the apprentices and trainees who participate in the Inter Campus College Competitions. Congratulations are extended to all participants with special recognition for those who excelled in their categories. Their outstanding performance may pave the way for them to further showcase their talents at the upcoming SkillBuild NI Regional Competition in Enniskillen this May.
Gareth Mone, Curriculum Area Manager at Southern Regional College added: “Our Inter campus SkillBuild competition involved over 80 competitors across construction, motor vehicle, body & paint, and welding trades.
“We welcomed visitors from CITB NI and judges to Greenbank. Again, the standard of work was extremely high, and we hope to have many of our students progressing to the regional finals in Enniskillen.”
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Plumbing Pipework student John McKee alongside CITB Director Rachel Dorovatas and SRC Curriculum Area Manager Gareth Mone Photo: SRC
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Plumbing Pipework student Andrew Houston alongside CITB Director Rachel Dorovatas and SRC Curriculum Area Manager Gareth Mone Photo: x
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Plastering student Aiden McCabe alongside CITB Director Rachel Dorovatas and SRC Curriculum Area Manager Gareth Mone Photo: x
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Plastering student Thomas Maguire alongside CITB Director Rachel Dorovatas and SRC Curriculum Area Manager Gareth Mone Photo: x