A talented trainee from Lichfield has triumphed at Britain’s biggest construction skills competition.
Matthew Lawrence, 24, took home the top prize in the drywall systems category of the SkillBuild 2011 competition, having beaten off competition during a three day final at Leeds College of Building.
The British Gypsum trainee was awarded a cheque for £500 at the award ceremony.
“I can’t believe it, it’s brilliant,” he said. “There were a lot of trainees at the regional heats so it was great to get to the finals and now to win here. It’s just brilliant. I’m really grateful to my employer and my tutors as well who have really supported me – I couldn’t have done it without them so I hope they’re proud.
“It’s a great competition, I’ve really enjoyed it. I can use what I’ve leaned in the last few months of the competition back at work. It makes you think carefully about what you’re doing and how it can be better. I just want to keep learning more about drywall systems to be the best that I can be and hopefully go far in the industry.
“I’d definitely recommend the competition to other apprentices, it’s a great way to push yourself harder and stand out from the crowd.”
The competitors made it through to the UK final after achieving the highest scores at 15 regional heats held across the UK. At the final they were marked on the essential skills needed to work in the sector, including following detailed instructions, producing accurate work outputs, being economical with materials and working to strict timescales.
SkillBuild is part of the WorldSkills UK competition framework, which is a series of around 70 quality assured skills competitions which take place in a diverse range of sectors from Construction and the Built Environment to Cultural and Creative Arts.
Outstanding competitors from this year’s competition could be selected to represent the UK at the next WorldSkills competition, which is due to take place in Leipzig, Germany in 2013. A number of winners from previous SkillBuild competitions will be taking part in this year’s WorldSkills competition on 5-8 October at Excel in London.
Main sponsors for this year’s SkillBuild include Crown Paints Ltd, British Gypsum, Stabila and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors.
For more information about the competition, which covers a wide range of crafts including bricklaying, cabinet making, carpentry, joinery, painting and decorating, plastering, roofing, stonemasonry and wall and floor tiling. visit www.cskills.org/skillbuild.
