Construction students from NCG colleges showcased their talents last week, as they dominated the results table at the North East SkillBuild regional heat. Students from Newcastle College and Carlisle College took 11 of the 18 top three places available across the six disciplines competing.
SkillBuild is the nation’s largest construction skills, apprenticeships, and careers event. The North East qualifier was one of 19 regional qualifiers taking place across the country, as learners competed in their field to make it through to the GoConstruct national final.
The event was held at Newcastle College on 27 June and involved 70 competitors from 18 colleges and training providers across North England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Ross Radford, Apprenticeship Quality Manager at NCG, said: “We’re so proud of all of our learners who competed in the SkillBuild regional heat last week against learners from across the nation. They all displayed fantastic skill and to achieve so many top three finishes is a fantastic result. We wish them lots of luck as they wait to hear if they have made it to the national finals.”
NCG is committed to supporting student participation in skills competitions, which provide learners with invaluable opportunities to test their knowledge and skills against national and international standards under competitive pressures. Its long-standing relationship with WorldSkills UK has seen dozens of students compete in its regional, national and international competitions, while it has run its own inter-college competition, NCG Skills, since 2020.
The college group is also part of the WorldSkills Centre of Excellence, an initiative founded by WorldSkillsUK and co-funded by its partner education charity and awarding organisation, NCFE. It aims to raise standards in technical education through a range of skills development workshops and CPD programmes to share international teaching and training best practice.
Liz Bromley, CEO of NCG commented: “We know that skills competitions build confidence, mastery in the skill and knowledge, while supporting assessment and examinations preparation. That is why they are a key part of our approach to education and training, and we have really focused on offering more of our learners the chance to take part in these competitions. Seeing them succeed in a such a big pool of talented competitors is fantastic and shows that our approach is working.”
Chris Slack, SkillBuild Event Coordinator added: “Competitions in general are really important for students. They expose them to a new way of working, especially with the timed element. With SkillBuild specifically, we’re trying to find the best in the industry. These qualifiers push the learners’
skills, test their knowledge and give them exposure to experts who can give them really useful feedback.”
NCG winners from the North East SkillBuild regional heat will find out later this month if they have secured a place in the Go Construct National Final.
NCG Results at the SkillBuild 2024 North East Qualifier:
Bricklaying
- Third place: Harvey McCreedy - Newcastle College
Carpentry
- First place: Ben Wilkinson - Carlisle College
- Second place: Reeve Telford - Carlisle College
- Third place: Alfred Fosker - Carlisle College
Joinery
- First place: George Swift - Carlisle College
Painting and Decorating
- Second place: Jacob Davies - Newcastle College
- Third place: Jack Shields - Newcastle College
Plastering
- First place: Niall Hancock - Newcastle College
- Second place: McCauley McGuiness - Carlisle College
- Third place: Colin Marson - Newcastle College
Roof Slating and Tiling
- Second place: Cameron Larcombe - Newcastle College