South West College takes home the Skillbuild NI DEL Cup for outstanding achievement

South West College is delighted to announce that the Vocational Training students from the College achieved 12 medals at this year’s Northern Ireland Skillbuild Competition held recently at South Eastern Regional College.  The Skillbuild competition is the largest annual multi-trade skills competition for construction apprentices from all over Northern Ireland providing a unique stage to showcase excellence and talent.  The College students achieved 6 Gold Medals, 3 Silver medals and 3 Bronze Medals and their combined efforts saw the College take home the Skillbuild NI DEL Cup for outstanding College contribution to the Competition.  A trophy the College only narrowly missed out on at last year’s competition.  To further add to the College achievements Mark Woods, from Lack, a Floor and Wall Tiling students at the Technology and Skills Centre in Enniskillen won the Haldane Fisher Cup for the Best Overall Skillbuild NI Young Apprentice of the Year.

Maria Hackett; Head of Department Training at SWC, said; “I am truly delighted and would like to congratulate all the trainees on their magnificent achievements.  The students worked hard to achieve this success.  I would also like to acknowledge the commitment of the College lecturers who supported the students in their preparation for the finals”.

David Cooper, Chairman of Skillbuild NI, said: “Skills competitions are an excellent way to showcase the high level of technical ability and occupational competence of young people within the construction industry. Competitions such as these have a major role to play in stimulating interest by showing the public just how exciting, challenging and rewarding a career in construction can be. Recruiting the talent of the future is a challenge our industry must meet if we are to avoid the skills gaps of the past.  We are hopeful that Northern Ireland can once again produce medal winning members of Team UK such as Fermanagh apprentice Trevor Woods, brother of Mark Woods who won the Haladane Cup, who won a bronze medal in joinery at the last WorldSkills competition held in Calgary in Canada in 2009.”

Skillbuild NI competition test pieces are designed to challenge the ability of apprentices to follow detailed instructions, produce accurate and neat work and be economical with materials while working to strict timescales – all essential requirements for today’s construction industry. The competition not only encourages trainees to improve their own skills, but provides an example of the high quality work being produced in training organisations across NI to meet local industry skill needs.

Commending the competitors on their hard work and dedication shown in their area of expertise, Alan Shannon, the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Employment and Learning, said: "The Skillbuild Northern Ireland competition allows our young apprentices to demonstrate that they have the high level of skills which our economy needs to stay competitive.  Skillbuild, as with all skills competitions, is about raising the status and standards of professional and technical education and training, and industry benefits from having more skillful, highly motivated staff."

A number of these trainees will now be going forward to the UK finals.  Mark Woods and Philip Glasgow have been selected for the UK team for the World Skills competition in London 2012.

The College medal role of honour:

Gold Medal Winners

Ciaran Connolly      Brickwork                      Tutored by: J Mc Alinden
Philip Glasgow        Carpentry                     Tutored by: T Mc Gartland
Shane Conway        Industrial Heating         Tutored by: C Robinson
Ryan Slevin            Plastering                    Tutored by: N Mc Intyre
Ross Temple          Plumbing                     Tutored by: C Robinson
Mark Woods           Tiling                          Tutored by: G Mullan

Silver Medals

B Mc Gurk     Carpentry                              Tutored by: T Mc Gartland
D Beattie        Joinery                                Tutored by: J Martin
D Breen         Plumbing                             Tutored by: C Robinson

Bronze Medals

Glen Torrens             Brickwork                   Tutored by: A Devlin
N Coyle Cabinet Making          Tutored by: P Duffy
J Mulligan                 Tiling                        Tutored by: G Mullan