Further Education colleges in Kent have been competing to find the region’s best trainee bricklayers, carpenters, joiners and decorators.
An inter-college competition held across the county last month, saw Construction Crafts students from MidKent College competing alongside their peers at South Kent College, Canterbury College, North West Kent College, Thanet College and West Kent College.
This, the second SkilledUp competition to have been held between the six colleges, saw construction lecturers swapping sites to judge participating students’ performance. For many learners, it was the first time they had been judged by anyone outside of their own workshop.
MidKent College’s Maidstone Campus played host to its own part of the competition on Thursday February 25. Here, a selection of the college’s most talented Construction Crafts students got the chance to complete a tough day-long challenge, before having their work judged by tutors from nearby North West Kent College.
With prizes including a range of power tools from sponsor, Makita UK - the UK’s number one professional power tool manufacturer - and competitive assessments undertaken in bricklaying, carpentry, joinery, and painting and decorating, students were keen to impress.
“It was a long day, but all the hard work was worth it in the end!” said first prize painter and decorator, 24 year-old Stuart Welch. “The painting and decorating element of the challenge required us to measure up an exact design on board and use various cutting-in techniques to paint it. We also had to cut and splice wallpaper accurately, so a whole cross-section of skills was required.”
It is hoped that the popular inter-college event will help to prepare Kent craftspeople for the international SkillBuild competition. Set to be hosted by London in 2011, the international event will see plasterers, builders, decorators and carpenters going head-to-head to show off their skills.
SkilledUp project director, Mike Stanley said: ‘The SkilledUp event is an exciting opportunity for students to showcase their talents, which will ultimately boost their confidence and their motivation - both to succeed, and be recognised as the best in their craft.’
First prize-winners in each craft and from each college will compete at the SkilledUp grand final set to take place on June 23 2010.
For all media enquiries, please contact Heather Collingwood,
Marketing and Communications Officer on 01634 383037
or at heather.collingwood@midkent.ac.uk