Member Article

Seven Leeds Students Taste Success In Skills Competition

SEVEN plastering, dry lining and tiling students from Leeds College of Building have been named as some of the region’s best young tradespeople after claiming all the top places in this year’s SkillBuild finals, which is the UK’s largest multi-trade competition.

The senior plastering competition was won by 38 year old Ameha Shewaye Bantiwered from Leeds with 27 year old Jonathan Scott from Adel, Leeds taking second place. Darrel Gibson, aged 23 from Rawdon, Leeds finished second in the new entrant competition, which is specifically designed to test first year students. Castleford man Michael Turner, aged 24, also won the dry lining competition, which sits under the plastering category.

In addition, 34 year old Aaron Hilton from Gildersome, Leeds won the wall and floor tiling category, Sovandeth Chin, aged 34 from Otley, finished as runner-up, and the new entrant competition was won by 23 year old Keiran Milnes from Gipton, Leeds.

Ian Billyard, Principal at Leeds College of Building, says: “All these students have done fantastically well and can be very proud of themselves. To take first and second places in two categories, when they were competing against some of the best students from colleges throughout Yorkshire and Humberside, is a great achievement and speaks volumes about the standard of training on offer at Leeds College of Building.”

Run by CITB-ConstructionSkills, SkillBuild is the country’s largest multi-trade competition and gives individuals the opportunity to exhibit their skills in a wide range of craft occupations.

Michael, Ameha, Aaron and Sovandethill will now participate in the national finals in November at Birmingham’s NEC, which will see more than 600 competitors battle it out in 60 construction skills competitions. The duo will also challenge for a place on the WorldSkills UK team which will compete at the 2017 WorldSkills competition in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Steven Wright .