Maidstone Campus hosts SkillBuild heat

Paul Carey, 18, from Maidstone, finished second in the brickwork (senior) section of the national construction competition, while George Hendry, 18, from Tenterden, scooped third in joinery.

The heat – managed by CITB-ConstructionSkills as part of its ongoing work to bring new blood into the industry – saw about 80 budding trainees from 12 colleges build, plaster and paint their way to being crowned the best in their chosen field.

Simon Foot – Head of Faculty for Construction & Building Services at MidKent College’s Maidstone Campus – said: “The reason I came into construction training is because I firmly believe in the quality of work that can be achieved by young people, and that was on display here today.

“All those who took part are very well placed for the future. One of the best things about hosting the SkillBuild competition is that the competitors’ work stays here, which means we can show it to our students as an example of what they should be aiming to achieve.”

Last Thursday’s (24 May) event at the College is one of 14 regional heats taking place around the UK, with the highest scoring competitors going on to compete at the national final in Preston in September.

Gillian Cain – regional delivery manager for CITB-ConstructionSkills South East – said: “SkillBuild is one of the many ways we add value to the industry by working on its behalf to encourage new talent to join the sector.

“The level of quality, skill, determination and professionalism shown by the competitors has been outstanding so we are very pleased with how successful the South East heat has been.”

SkillBuild is part of the WorldSkills UK competition framework, which is a series of about 70 quality-assured skills competitions covering a diverse range of sectors.

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For all media enquiries, please contact Steve Knight, Marketing and Communications Officer, on 01634 383277 or email steve.knight@midkent.ac.uk.