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Seven students from Southern Regional College have been placed in this year's Northern Ireland SkillBuild Regional Competition, held at the college's Greenbank campus in Newry on 19 May 2026. Twenty-three SRC students competed alongside more than 100 construction apprentices from across the north in twelve specialist trade categories.
3 at the Northern Ireland Regional SkillBuild competition held at SRC’s Greenbank
campus.
The competition, organised by the Construction Industry Training Board NI and supported by the Department for the Economy, tests skills, technique and the ability to work within tight timeframes. It also aims to raise the status and standards of professional and technical education and training. Awards were announced by journalist and presenter Sarah Travers.
The twelve trade categories were Brickwork, Furniture and Cabinet Making, Carpentry, Electrical Installation, Fire Installation, Painting and Decorating, Security Installation, Joinery, Plastering, Drylining, Plumbing, and Wall and Floor Tiling.
The seven students were:
Wall & Floor Tiling: 1st Alan Holubowicz, Tandragee
Electrical Installation: 2nd Thomas Parks, Portadown
Plumbing: 2nd Jake Elliott, Annaclone
Bricklaying: 3rd Ruairi McAvoy, Banbridge
Electrical Installation: 3rd Jack Sterritt, Markethill
Joinery: 3rd Taylor Crooks, Tandragee
Wall & Floor Tiling: 3rd Kristopher McIlrath, Madden
within the Plumbing category at the Northern Ireland Regional SkillBuild competition
held at SRC’s Greenbank campus.
Students who were placed may have the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland at the SkillBuild UK national final, which takes place from 17 to 19 November 2026 in Milton Keynes.
Gary Mackin, Head of Faculty for Building Technology and Engineering at Southern Regional College, said: "SkillBuild gives students the opportunity to test their skills in a competitive environment and measure themselves against some of the best apprentices from across Northern Ireland. To have seven SRC students place in their categories is a strong achievement and reflects the hard work, commitment and professionalism they bring to their trade."
finished in the top 3 within the bricklaying category at the
Northern Ireland Regional SkillBuild competition held at
SRC’s Greenbank campus.
Barry Neilson OBE, Chief Executive of CITB NI, said: "Congratulations to all the apprentices who took part in the SkillBuild NI Regional Qualifier Competition 2026. The competition is a fantastic opportunity for apprentices to showcase their skills, connect with other like-minded individuals and demonstrate their commitment to building a career in the construction industry."
He added: "Events like this play an important role in encouraging and developing the next generation of talent, which is vital for supporting industry growth and shaping the future workforce. I would like to thank our partners CITB (GB) and SRC for their continued support, the Department for Economy and industry sponsors and we look forward to the SkillBuild UK National Finals in November."
