Edinburgh College Hosting Top Construction Trainees for ‘Skills Olympics’

TOP CONSTRUCTION trainees from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are competing this week at the SkillBuild National Finals 2022.

Often dubbed the ‘Skills Olympics’, SkillBuild is delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in partnership with WorldSkills UK. Over 80 trades finalists made it through the qualifying rounds, which were held at various colleges across the UK earlier this year.

In roofing, there are seven finalists competing for the top roofing accolade, with the winning roofing apprentices getting the chance to go on and represent Great Britain at the IFD World Championships.

This year’s finals are now in full swing, taking place at Edinburgh College from 15 to 17 November. This is the first time the annual event is being hosted at Edinburgh College, with last year’s held at CITB’s National Construction College in Bircham Newton, Norfolk.

With an 18-hour project to complete, participants are being tested not only on their technical abilities, but on their time management, problem solving and skills working under pressure.

‘Skills Olympics’

Tim Balcon, CITB CEO

Tim Balcon, CITB Chief Executive, said: “The current skills gap, as well as a demand for more workers present huge challenges. SkillBuild is just one of the many initiatives detailed in our Business Plan that aims to address the skills demand, by focusing on attracting and retaining new talent into industry.

“SkillBuild is a fantastic opportunity to sharpen and increase your employability skills, providing a platform for the best of the best in construction technical education. To make it through to the National Finals is a fantastic achievement, and all the competitors should be incredibly proud of themselves.”

Audrey Cumberford, Edinburgh College Principal and CEO, added: “We’re delighted to be hosting WorldSkills UK National Finals with SkillBuild at our Granton Campus.

“Skills competitions like these are terrific spectacles and offer a platform for apprentices and students to thrive, and for other young people and those perhaps looking to change jobs to learn more about careers in these highly-skilled disciplines – supporting the need to plug skills gaps within the Construction sector.”

Top Construction Trainees

Winners of the SkillBuild National Finals 2022 will be announced on 25 November from 4pm, live on the Channel 4 show, Steph’s Packed Lunch.

The roofing finalists are:

Jordan Maley, South Lanarkshire College

Jacob Blight, South Devon College

Nile Moore, South Devon College

Aeron Murray, Leeds College of Building

Kyron Sharlotte, Leeds College of Building

Joshua Easton, Leeds College of Building

Benjamin Jones, Bolton College

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HHPw_Wv2mL0

>> Read more about SkillBuild in the news