Mansfield: West Notts Students building for the future

Eight West Notts College students showed they have what it takes to become the next generation of top quality skilled craftsmen by carrying off awards at SkillBuild 2014.
West Notts College students are: back (l-r) Joshua Flanaghan, Liam Jones, Stuart Brown, Samuel Bispham. Front (l-r) Stefan Hubble, Jessica Buckley, Anna Lodge, Frankie Hawson.West Notts College students are: back (l-r) Joshua Flanaghan, Liam Jones, Stuart Brown, Samuel Bispham. Front (l-r) Stefan Hubble, Jessica Buckley, Anna Lodge, Frankie Hawson.
West Notts College students are: back (l-r) Joshua Flanaghan, Liam Jones, Stuart Brown, Samuel Bispham. Front (l-r) Stefan Hubble, Jessica Buckley, Anna Lodge, Frankie Hawson.

The regional heats of the competition, designed to find Britain’s best trainee tradesperson, were held at the college in the run-up to Easter.

It saw 102 students from 20 colleges compete in a wide range of challenges including bricklaying, carpentry, joinery, plastering, painting and decorating.

And there was considerable success for West Notts students with over half of the 14 entered achieving top three positions in their respective categories – double last year’s total – with three taking the top spot.

Anna Lodge was first in the senior painting and decorating competition and works for Harrington’s Decorators with business partner and former student Rebecca Harrington.

She said: “It was a really tense competition. I secured the new entrant first place at SkillBuild 2012 and I’m on cloud nine to have won first place again.”

Lane Sheppard apprentice, Frankie Hawson, was runner-up in senior painting and decorating category.

The company’s managing director, Thomas Lane, said: “Frankie works incredibly hard and his work is well above what we usually see from an apprentice.”

Other West Notts winners were: Joshua Flanagan (first in plastering, new entrant), Stefan Hubble (first in painting and decorating, new entrant), Jessica Buckley (second in painting and decorating, new entrant), Sam Bispham (second in carpentry, senior), Liam Jones (second in brickwork, new entrant), Stuart Brown (third in plastering, senior).

The regional heats involve students working on test plans which take a day to complete, with the highest scorers from the senior categories put forward to compete in the national final.

Head of construction and building services Julian Walden said: “Displaying this kind of success in SkillBuild shows we’re attracting talented students who aspire to be the very best they can be in their chosen craft.”

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