The annual SkillBuild competition at Southern Regional College got underway at the start of February as competitors from various trades and disciplines showcased their talents and skills. Contestants from across the College’s campuses competed against peers, to be in with the chance to make it to the regional competition. The regional competition is set to take place on Tuesday 21st May at South West College’s Enniskillen campus.
Categories participating in the SkillBuild competition included brickwork, cabinet making, carpentry, joinery, wall & floor tiling, painting & decorating, plastering, plumbing pipework, electrical installation, and light motor vehicle.
Success at the inter-campus competition is the first step towards competing on the WorldSkills stage. Successful competitors at SkillBuild will be benchmarked against competitors from Northern Ireland's other Further Education Colleges by the Construction Industry Training Board. The results will determine who will represent the region at national and international competitions.
There now remains an anxious wait before it’s known whether local students will progress to the regional competition. SRC students hoping to progress to the regional stage include:
| Competition Area | Name | Course | Campus |
| 1st place | |||
| Brickwork | Matthew Carswell | L3 Bricklaying Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Cabinet Making | Odhran Campbell | L2 Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Carpentry | Liam Dougan | L2 Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship | Armagh |
| Joinery | Ethan McKenna | L2 Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship | Armagh |
| Electrical Installation | Adam Skelton | L3 Electrotechnical (Electrical Installation) Apprenticeship | Portadown |
| Motor Vehicle Light | Adam Moore | L2 Light Vehicle Traineeship | Portadown |
| Painting & Decorating | Richard Loughran | L2 Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Plastering | Matthew McCready | L2 Plastering Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Plumbing Pipework | Andrew Houston | L3 Domestic Plumbing & Heating Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Wall & Floor Tiling | Rebecca Gavigan (NWRC) | N/A | N/A |
| 2nd place | |||
| Brickwork | Kyle McAvoy | L3 Bricklaying Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Cabinet Making | Jake Richardson | L2 Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Carpentry | Stephen Hanna | ||
| Electrical Installation | Jonathan Gough | L3 Electrotechnical (Electrical Installation) Apprenticeship | Portadown |
| Joinery | Taylor Crooks | L2 Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship | Portadown |
| Motor Vehicle Light | James McCartan | L2 Light Vehicle Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Painting & Decorating | Kirsty Leigh Stewart | L2 Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Plastering | Thomas Maguire | L2 Plastering Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Plumbing Pipework | John McKee | L3 Domestic Plumbing & Heating Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Wall & Floor Tiling | Dean Frazer | L2 Wall & Floor Tiling Traineeship | Greenbank |
| 3rd place | |||
| Brickwork | Ruairi McAvoy | L2 Bricklaying Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Cabinet Making | Ollie Jardine | L2 Carpentry & Joinery Traineeship | Portadown |
| Carpentry | Junior Swain | L2 Carpentry & Joinery | Greenbank |
| Electrical Installation | Kyle Livingstone | L3 Electrotechnical (Electrical Installation) Apprenticeship | Armagh |
| Joinery | Lughaidh O'Donnaile | ||
| Motor Vehicle Light | Brody Duffy | L2 Light Vehicle Traineeship | Portadown |
| Plastering | Aiden McCabe | L2 Plastering Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
| Plumbing Pipework | Jordon Nummy | L2 Domestic Plumbing & Heating Apprenticeship | Greenbank |
Rachel Dorovatus, Director of Industry Training & Support at CITB NI attended the competition and praised the participants for their high standards of skills. Rachel commented:
“We are continuously impressed by the standard of skills demonstrated by the apprentices and trainees who participate in the Inter Campus College Competitions. Congratulations are extended to all participants with special recognition for those who excelled in their categories. Their outstanding performance may pave the way for them to further showcase their talents at the upcoming SkillBuild NI Regional Competition in Enniskillen this May."
Gareth Mone, Curriculum Area Manager at Southern Regional College further commented:
“Our Inter campus SkillBuild competition involved over 80 competitors across construction, motor vehicle, body & paint, and welding trades.
We welcomed visitors from CITB NI and judges to our Greenbank Campus. Again, the standard of work was extremely high, and we hope to have many of our students progressing to the regional finals in May.”
