News
Northern Ireland Construction Students build a Bright future at SkillBuild NI Finals
The Construction Industry Training Board NI (CITB NI) annual SkillBuild NI Finals 2023 competition, in partnership with North West Regional College (NWRC), has taken place at NWRC, Greystone Campus, Limavady.
The competition is a search for the top performers within construction apprenticeship programmes from across Northern Ireland and a showcase of the wealth of talent, professionalism, and the brightest recruits throughout the industry.
Over 90 of the brightest recruits and top performers within construction apprenticeship programmes from across Northern Ireland competed against each other to win in categories: Brickwork, Cabinet Making, Carpentry, Electrical Installation, Joinery, Painting & Decorating, Plastering Dry Wall Systems, Plastering, Plumbing, Wall & Floor Tiling.
There were 11 first place winners in the categories and Conor Dallas, Northern Regional College was awarded Overall Young Apprentice of the Year alongside 2nd place in the joinery category.
Supported by the Department for the Economy and local construction companies, the competition provides an opportunity to showcase the high level of skills and the impressive talent within the workforce, as well as raising the status and standards of professional and technical education and training.
The SkillBuild NI Finals is part of a regional qualifier, winners from the NI finals, may have the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland in the SkillBuild UK National Finals which, for the first time, will take place at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes on 21, 22 & 23 November 2023
Barry Neilson, Chief Executive CITB NI, said:
“A huge congratulations to all the apprentices who took part in the annual SkillBuild NI 2023 competitions. There was an incredible amount of talent on display. It was great to see the enthusiasm and commitment from a new generation of construction industry leaders – the future of the industry is looking very bright! Apprentices at all levels are a vital component to helping the construction industry develop and grow. Offering young people apprenticeships gives businesses the chance to play an active role in developing their future workforce as well as creating the future skills that they need to help their businesses develop. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner NWRC for the fantastic showcase of the NI talent pool throughout the competition and we look forward to the SkillBuild National Finals in November.”
Dr. Catherine O’Mullan, Director of Curriculum and Academic Standards at North West Regional College said:
“
NWRC was honoured to host the prestigious SkillBuild NI competition at our Greystone Campus in Limavady. There was an exciting and energetic atmosphere on the day and we thank all of the visitors who attended and supported the students. This competition demonstrates excellence in construction skills training at all Northern Irelands Further Education Colleges. The standard of work on display was exceptional and I wish all the winners every success as they progress to the next stage of the national competitions. Their success is a credit to the Further Education sector lecturers and partner employers who have been supporting them in advance of the intense competition. I would also like to thank the teams at NWRC and CITB NI for their work in bringing this prestigious competition to the North West.”
For further details on SkillBuild NI and CITB NI support for apprenticeships and employers visit
www.citbni.org.uk. Follow CITBNI on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn #SkillBuildNI2023.
L-R Barry Neilson Chief Executive CITB NI with SkillBuild NI Best Young Apprentice Conor Dallas from Northern Regional College with awards host Sarah Travers.