Five of Reaseheath’s talented young construction students proved they have outstanding skills by impressing judges at a new Cheshire inter-college competition.

All five enjoyed a brilliant day at the Cheshire Skills Competition (Construction category), hosted by Warrington and Vale Royal College, and returned to campus full of enthusiasm and looking forward to the 2022 competition season.

Our students took on peers from Warrington & Vale Royal College, Macclesfield College and Cheshire College South & West, with all five gaining an individual placing in the top three. Level 1 student Jack Boffey won the contest for junior bricklayers while Level 2 bricklayer Harley Bateman was third in the senior bricklayers’ section.

Our joiners were equally successful, with William Fildes, a Level 3 Site Joiner, winning the senior section and Level 2 Site Joiner Ben Williams and Level 2 Bench Joiner Liam Coglan taking second and third places respectively in the junior joinery section.

All five and a further three plasterers are now entered into the regional WorldSkillsUK competition, to be held on June 28 at Bolton College, and hopes are high that some may qualify for the national WorldSkillUK finals.

Curriculum Area Manager for Construction Andy Gould said: “The competition was a very positive experience in a supportive atmosphere. The students gained a lot of confidence and are keen to take on their next competitive challenge, while the supporting staff from the colleges enjoyed working together and will benefit from these new friendships.”

The Cheshire Skills Competition is a new collaboration between Reaseheath College, Warrington & Vale Royal College, Macclesfield College and Cheshire College South & West which aims to deliver a joined-up approach to the sharing of good practice and expertise. An inter-college steering group has been formed to run skills competitions as a way of developing world class skills, confidence and life skills in students.

The Cheshire Skills Competition was launched last week with categories for automotive, construction and hair and beauty students. The automotive category was hosted by Reaseheath in our industry standard Centre for Advanced Engineering and Agri-Technology, while the hair and beauty challenge was hosted by Macclesfield College.