Construction Students Celebrated at Skills Competitions

On Friday 23rd January, construction students at Riverside College took part in a ‘Construction Competition Day’, designed to test skills they have learned so far on their courses and prepare them for working in industry.

The event was held for the first time at the Colleges £3.6 million Engineering and Construction Skills Centre, and was sponsored by Travis Perkins Timber and Builders Merchant in Widnes. Competitions were held in different construction disciplines; Brickwork, Carpentry and Joinery, and Painting and Decorating.

Winning students were awarded a trophy and a prize consisting of equipment relevant to their trade.

In the Brickwork competition, students were tasked with building a wall. They were judged on speed, accuracy and overall appearance. Shonagh Tomlinson, from Runcorn, was crowned competition winner.

Course tutor, Darren Moore, said “Everybody has excelled today, but Shonagh really stood out with her concentration levels and neat presentation.”

In the Painting and Decorating Competition, student Liam Riley, formerly of St Chad’s Catholic and Church Of England High School, won after displaying an excellent level of accuracy in his task, which included setting out a design, paint application and stencil work.

Course tutor, John Lee, said “Liam’s work was outstanding; he demonstrated a very good level of attention to detail. The competition was close, but excellent time management was the deciding factor in choosing him as the winner.”

In the Carpentry and Joinery competition, with a winner chosen from each level. Students were tasked with building a scaled down roof frame.

David Barber, from Widnes, was crowned winner in the level 3 category, and Carl Hatton, formerly of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic College, was awarded winner of the level 2 category.
Course tutor, Paul McNally said “David’s quality of marking out cuts and his roof drawings were outstanding. Carl’s drawings were also first class and he completed the project well within the time constraints. Both students were deserving winners today.”

David Harari, Manager at the Widnes branch of Travis Perkins Timber and Builders Merchant, was at the event to present prizes to the winners. He said, “This was the first year we have sponsored the event and I’ve been very impressed. The competition was a great opportunity for students to experience working under pressure and it prepares them well for the future. We are keen to build on our relationship with the college and become more involved in future events.”

Brickwork winner Shonagh, said, “I have really enjoyed the competition and am very happy to have won. It was great to use the skills I have learnt so far on the course and I feel it will be valuable experience for the future as I hope to start my own brickwork company.”

Painting & Decorating winner Liam Riley, said, “I’m really pleased to have won, I didn’t think I would! It was a great experience to work in a corporate working environment and I think it will help me in the future.”

Carpentry & Joinery Level 3 winner David Barber, commented, “I am very happy to have won today. The event has been a great experience and I found it very useful in preparing for my future plans of becoming a Joiner.”

Carpentry & Joinery Level 2 winner Carl Hatton said, “I am really pleased to have won the competition, it has made me much more confident in my skills and given me focus on my career goal of working in joinery.”