Jake Gill, Level 2 Bricklaying student at Selby College, has successfully reached the regional qualifiers of the national SkillBuild 2021 competition.

As part of the competition, Jake had to complete an online assessment and carry out a six-hour bricklaying task. The competitors were given drawings of brickwork to follow and create, which included a front elevation and two end elevations.

“We were given six hours to bring the drawing to life, which was quite a challenge as we had to make sure that all of the measurements fit the brief too. It was a lot of pressure working to such a tight timescale, but my adrenalin and the words of encouragement from my tutors kept me going. I’m extremely proud of myself for reaching the regional qualifiers and grateful for the opportunity to deepen my knowledge and build on my skillset,” said Jake.

Due to Covid-19, the regional qualifiers of the competition were held remotely at the individual colleges and live streamed to the judges.

The physical assessment was marked by Jake’s tutors Phil Hodgkinson and Michael Krautkraemer, who had to capture photographs of the layers of Jake’s brickwork and the measurements of it.

“The pandemic has been extremely tough for students studying vocational subjects such as bricklaying, because they haven’t been able to work in the practical environment that they are used to. Therefore, I am extremely proud of Jake for putting himself forward for the competition after such a challenging year. His passion, dedication and eagerness to continue progressing as an aspiring bricklayer is second to none and is inspirational for his fellow course mates,” said Phil Hodgkinson, Lecturer in Bricklaying at Selby College.

The SkillBuild competition aims to showcase the very best in upcoming UK construction talent, highlighting the promising future ahead for the industry with such a skilled future workforce.

The competition runs across 10 individual skills areas including Bricklaying, Carpentry, Furniture & Cabinet Making, Joinery, Painting & Decorating, Plastering, Drywall Systems, Stonemasonry, Wall & Floor Tiling and Foundation Skills in Woodworking.

If successful, Jake will secure a place at the three-day final WorldSkills UK LIVE event, which will take place in November. The highest-scoring eligible competitors then have the opportunity to progress on to the EuroSkills and WorldSkills competitions.