Students Celebrating SkillBuild Success!

Level 3 Joinery student Erica Richardson and Plastering Apprentice Bradley Richards are celebrating their amazing success following the GoConstruct SkillBuild National Final, which took place in Milton Keynes last month.

The prestigious annual competition saw 80 competitors demonstrating their precision, creativity and dedication in sections dedicated to trades including Bricklaying, Carpentry, Drylining, Furniture & Cabinet Making, Joinery, Painting & Decorating, Plastering, Roof Slating & Tiling, Stonemasonry, and Wall & Floor Tiling with additional awards for Team Spirit and Rising Star.

The journey to the SkillBuild final started back in May, when Erica and Bradley together with a number of other Craven College students competed in the Regional Qualifier at Burnley College.

The Regional Qualifiers run UK-wide, from March to June each year. These one-day events bring together apprentices and trainees who complete a set task relevant to their trade. Once the Qualifiers have finished, the marks are collated and the eight highest-scoring competitors in each specialist skill go through to the next round.

Our students did us very proud that day, with Archie Webb, Sam Kitchen, Leon Higgins-Pemberton and Casper Randall competing in Bricklaying, Erica Richardson and Jake Jennings in Joinery, Elham Omari in Carpentry, Bradley Richards and Harry Swithenbank in Plastering and Summa Metcalf, Joe Orme, and Zoe Gaskell in Painting & Decorating.

Following a tense day of competition with Erica and Bradley both winning their respective heats it was confirmed that their scores made the top 8 and therefore they had their place in the National Final!

Andrew Barnes, Lecturer in Carpentry and Joinery said, “The SkillBuild competition is a prestigious industry event to determine the very best skilled young person in several disciplines within construction.

“Erica was one of eight to be selected from the hundreds that entered regional heats to compete in the final of the Joinery competition.  Erica then had to work hard for 3 days in a high-pressure situation under intense scrutiny from the judges and members of the public.  

“Erica gained second place Joinery student in the country.  This is a truly outstanding achievement of which I am very proud as her tutor for the last 2 years.”

Erica said, following her success, “Taking part in the SkillBuild final was really exciting but nerve wracking. The regionals were a lot less pressure and a lot easier.

“I was quite fortunate as the piece we had to make was quite similar to one I had practised before the final. When they announced I finished second I was really shocked. I didn’t expect it. I’m a really harsh critic of my own work so had seen lots wrong with what I made!

“I would definitely take part in SkillBuild again. It was an amazing experience although way more mentally challenging than I expected.”

Steve Syers, Lecturer in Plastering commented, “This is the proudest moment of my teaching career. As I get closer to retirement, it was a lasting legacy to have one of my students win SkillBuild and I’m so proud of Bradley”.

Platering Apprentice Bradley added, at the end of an amazing year which has seen him win British Gypsum Student of the Year, British Gypsum Plastering Award, SkillBuild Regionals and National Fine, “I gave SkillBuild a go because my tutor prompted me, he said I had a good chance. Last year I won my Regional but didn’t qualify for the final, but this year I made the final.

“I came into College in the run up and practised with Steve, he covered everything and did a really good job. The final is such a high-pressured environment, probably the most pressure I have felt. I’m a really harsh critic of my own work and didn’t think it was good enough, so it was a massive shock when they announced I had won, it was really overwhelming.

“It was really scary taking part in the competition but really rewarding. I’d recommend anyone to give it a go; you have nothing to lose!”

Congratulations to you both on your success, we’re really proud of you!