SRC students compete in annual SkillBuild Intercampus contest

Southern Regional College (SRC) hosted its annual SkillBuild Intercampus competition earlier this month, with close to 70 apprentices and traineeship students competing across eight trade categories at the College's Greenbank campus.

The Faculty of Building Technology and Engineering organised the event, which brought together students from the College's Greenbank, Armagh and Portadown campuses to compete in bricklaying, cabinet making, carpentry, electrical installation, joinery, plastering, plumbing and wall and floor tiling. The competition is designed to test skills, techniques and the ability to work under time pressure while maintaining high professional standards. Competitors who placed received vouchers for their efforts, while all electrical installation participants received additional vouchers from City Electrical Factors (CEF).

The intercampus competition serves as the first stage of a pathway that could ultimately lead students to national level. Those who place progress to the SkillBuild Northern Ireland Regional competition, which is scheduled to take place at SRC's Newry campus in May. Students who succeed at regional level may then go on to represent Northern Ireland at the SkillBuild UK National finals later in the year.

Gareth Mone, Curriculum Area Manager at Southern Regional College, said the standard of work on display was encouraging. "The annual intercampus SkillBuild competition once again brought together apprentices and trainees from across our campuses, all determined to prove themselves under real industry conditions. The level of skill and professionalism demonstrated this year shows that the future of our construction and engineering industries is in capable hands."

Rachel Dorovatas, Director of Industry Training and Support at CITB NI, who attended the competition, highlighted the wider importance of events like SkillBuild. "The SkillBuild Regional competition showcases the fantastic variety of young talent coming through the industry. With the current skills gap, SkillBuild plays a vital role in promoting construction careers and attracting a diverse new generation into the sector."

Dorovatas added: "Congratulations to all participants who have participated in the inter-campus and competitor selection process, with special recognition given to those who excelled in their respective trade categories. Their exceptional performance may provide an opportunity to further showcase their talents at the upcoming SkillBuild NI Regional Competition, scheduled to take place in Southern Regional College, Newry in May."

Alongside the main SkillBuild competition, preliminary activity aligned to WorldSkills UK was also delivered on the day, with close to 30 students participating across campuses in fabrication and welding and automotive studies. Further WorldSkills UK preliminary competitions in automotive refinishing and automotive body repair are scheduled to take place at the College's Portadown campus in the coming weeks.

Students placing at this year’s SkillBuild competition were: 

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