SRC Students compete for SkillBuild success

Students from the SRC Greenbank campus in Newry are hoping to progress to the regional SkillBuild finals in May.

The annual SkillBuild competition at Southern Regional College got underway at the start of February with 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 21 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 vehicles. 

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 levels.

There now remains an anxious wait before it’s known whether local students will progress to the regional competition. 

Local students hoping to progress include

Rachel Dorovatas, Director of Industry Training & Support at CITB NI, attended the competition and praised the participants for their high standards of skills. Rachel said “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 Greenbank. Again, the standard of work was extremely high, and we hope to have many of our students progressing to the regional finals in Enniskillen.”