Students from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) are celebrating their wins at the Construction Industry Training Board NI (CITB NI) annual SkillBuild NI Regional Qualifier Competition 2026 hosted at Southern Regional College’s (SRC), Greenbank Campus in Newry.
SERC had 16 competitors representing the college in eight of the 11 disciplines and came away with four first places, one second place and two third place wins.
In the Fire Installation competition, team SERC lifted all podium places led by 1st place, Ryan Tang (Bangor) employed by BPS; 2nd place, Owen Brady (Lisburn) employed by Elmwood Protection Services; and 3rd place, Milo Turkington (Lurgan) employed by Northtech. All three apprentices are completing the Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Fire & Security.
First places also went to Fergal Gilmore (Portaferry) in Bricklaying, a Level 2 Apprenticeship NI in Bricklaying employed by JP Construction; Joshua Sanderson (Newcastle) in Electrical Installation, a Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Electrical employed by Irwins M&E; and David Johnston (Saintfield) in Plastering, a Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Plastering employed by Andrew Gill.
The final 3rd place on the podium went to Matthew Rutherford (Bangor) for Carpentry, a Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Carpentry & Joinery employed by Gareth McCartney.
Also to be commended and celebrated were nine more competitors from SERC who had reached the Regional Qualifier Competition of SkillBuild. These included,in Cabinet Making - David Magee (Hillsborough) employed by GR Contracts Dromara, and Taylor Simpson (Lisburn) employed by Timbermark Lisburn - both Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Carpentry & Joinery; Joinery – Aaron Emerson (Craigavon) employed by HICS Properties Ltd Irvinestown – Level 3 Diploma in Carpentry & Joinery; Carpentry - Shea Murphy (Castlewellan) employed by Niall Murphy - Level 2 Apprenticeship in Carpentry and Joinery; and Odhran Barlow (Loughinisland) employed by Magorrian Construction – Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Carpentry & Joinery; Plumbing - Alfie Carey (Lisburn) employed by JF Mechanical - Level 2 NI Traineeship in Plumbing; and Fire Installation – Daniel Bell (Newtownards) employed by Specialised Fire & Security; Cameron Jones (Newtownards) employed by Diamond Fire & Security; and Samuel Gilmore (Comber) employed by Specialised Fire & Security - all completing Level 3 Apprenticeship NI Fire & Security.
Francis Rice, Principal Lecturer, School of the Built Environment at SERC said, “We are absolutely thrilled with the wins for SERC at the SkillBuild NI Qualifier. Congratulations to all the winners and to those who made it to the regional qualifier, an achievement which we also celebrate.
“We are of course immensely proud of our SERC team. To achieve four 1st places, one 2nd and two 3rd place wins across five of the eight competition areas that we had entrants is amazing. We wish everyone continued success if selected to represent Northern Ireland in the SkillBuild UK National Final.”
Francis concluded, “I would also like to congratulate and say thank you to all the lecturing teams across SERC who have put in extra time teaching and mentoring the apprentices for this competition, and to all the employers who have supported our students’ participation.”
Over 100 of the brightest recruits and top performers within construction apprenticeship programmes from across Northern Ireland competed against each other in the SkillBuild Qualifier. The competition is designed to test skills, technique and ability within tight timeframes, and identifies the top performers in 11 different trade areas within construction apprenticeship programmes from across Northern Ireland. It is a showcase of the wealth of talent, professionalism, and the brightest recruits throughout the industry.
The SkillBuild NI Regional Competition is part of a regional qualifier and those who took podium places may have the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland in the SkillBuild UK national final held 17-19 November 2026 in Milton Keynes. SkillBuild is delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB GB) and showcases some of the brightest talent in construction. Supported by the Department for the Economy and local construction companies, the competition provides an opportunity to showcase the high level of skills and the impressive talent within the workforce, as well as raising the status and standards of professional and technical education and training.
Barry Neilson OBE, Chief Executive CITB NI, said, “Congratulations to all the apprentices who took part in the SkillBuild NI Regional Qualifier Competition 2026. The competition is a fantastic opportunity for apprentices to showcase their skills, connect with other like-minded individuals and demonstrate their commitment to building a career in the construction industry. Events like this play an important role in encouraging and developing the next generation of talent, which is vital for supporting industry growth and shaping the future workforce. I would like to thank our partners CITB (GB) and SRC for their continued support, the Department for Economy and industry sponsors and we look forward to the SkillBuild UK National Finals in November.”
