As sponsor of both the regional qualifiers and final, Marley has also donated JB Red battens and tiles which will be used by trainees and apprentices competing within the Roof Slating and Tiling category.
Stuart Nicholson Sales Director – Roof Systems at Marley, said: “As the construction industry continues to face an ongoing shortage of skills, including roofers, it is vital that we support the next generation coming into the sector. Competitions such as SkillBuild, not only work to develop competitors’ technical abilities, but also their time management, confidence and self-esteem which help form the foundations of a long and successful career in the trade.”
Chris Messenger, who is part of the team of lecturers who train students for competitions at Leeds College of Building, said: “SkillBuild is a fantastic opportunity for our apprentices to take the technical skills they’ve developed and compete among their peers, with the winners even having the chance to compete on an international level. Having the support from manufacturers, such as Marley, ensures those taking part can get to grips with quality roofing products, gaining further practical experience which they will be able to use throughout their career.”
SkillBuild, delivered by CITB, is the largest multi-trade competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices. The series of competitions sees the very best compete against each other to be crowned a winner in their chosen trade.
Andy Rowlands explains, “The apprentices don’t see the spec for their rigs until the night before the competition. They have to really take in what they need to do and pay attention to the detail. Every minute counts because they have to complete everything – the slating, tiling, ridge, abutment and hip – in just 18 hours. That’s a big challenge.”
Matt Timby adds, “They’ve demonstrated an incredibly high standard this year and we’ve had to really look for precision down to the last millimetre to come up with the winners because all the finalists showed such a high level of skill and achieved such impressive quality rigs.”