LCB 2025 SkillBuild Heats Standard ‘Very High’ as Finalists Announced

THE STANDARD of competitors in the last of the 2025 SkillBuild roofing heats was pronounced “very high” at Leeds College of Building on 1 July.

Ben Rowlands, NFRC Technical Manager – Slating and Tiling and part of the judging team, said, “The general standard is very high this year. We’ve seen a good level of talent from each contestant so we know the SkillBuild finals will be very competitive later this year.

“At this stage there are just three marks between them, so it’s going to be very, very close.”

Each SkillBuild Roof Slating and Tiling apprentice taking part in the heats completed a rig in slate at the LCB roofing workshop, on the day. Slate used for the competition was donated by SIG Roofing. Working to a strict specification, and using only hand tools, the rigs included felt and battening, six courses of slate, two hips, three ridges and mortar work.

Selected to compete in the LCB SkillBuild regional heats were:

• Nolan Law apprentice at Newcastle College
• Samuel Jinks apprentice at Leeds College of Building
• Charlie Swain, apprentice at Walsall College
• Levanti Szasz, apprentice at Leeds College of Building
• Jack Moorhouse, apprentice at Leeds College of Building
• Brooklyn Smith, apprentice at Newcastle College

Owner of Dalton Roofing, Phil Dalton is a firm believer in the benefits of competitions for his apprentices: “They just learn so much more, it’s not just about winning. It’s the extra training they do before the contest, for example this year in slate, that some apprentices might not do at work. The high standard of roofing skills they are demonstrating really shows that. It’s also the camaraderie, they have a really good laugh together, and get so much more confidence out of it.”

Charlie Springs from Ven Construction, employer of apprentice Jack Moorhouse, echoed these sentiments, saying, “It all helps to create quality tradespeople. Their experiences in these competitions help to mould their training, translating through to how they work and becoming part of a loyal and dedicated workforce.”

Fellow SkillBuild judge, Bob Coutts, commented that the quality of the slating was all the more impressive because, of the six completing the set slating tasks this year, four are first-year apprentices. He said, “Only Sam and Levanti from Dalton Roofing are competing for the second time, and their experience shows.

“But the skills of the first-year competitors has surprised us this year, we’ve been truly impressed. The level of talent means that we don’t know at his stage who will go through to the finals, we can’t call it.”

Leeds College of Building has a long track record of successfully entering their apprentices in several roofing contests, under the leadership of roofing tutor Dave Mallory, counting winners of SkillBuild, BMI Apprentice of the year and the international IFD world championships amongst their ranks over many years.

National Finalists of SkillBuild 2025

Announced today, the national finalists of SkillBuild 2025 Roof Slating & Tiling, taking place on 19–20 November 2025 at Arena MK in Milton Keynes, are:

Roof Slating & Tiling

• Levente Szasz – Leeds College of Building
• Aidan Phee – South Lanarkshire College
• Charlie Swain – Walsall College
• Samuel Jinks – Leeds College of Building
• Nolan Law – Newcastle College
• Brooklyn Smith – Newcastle College
• Corey Riordan – Exeter College
• Mark Knight – Simian Risk

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