"The construction industry plays a leading role in delivering economic growth, so its important that we celebrate the talent and passion that exists across the country."
Elaine Bowker, principal
Talented tradespeople from across the country have competed in the annual national final of the Guild of Bricklayers, hosted by the City of Liverpool College.
This year’s event was attended by over 150 people who came to see 20 finalists from across the country compete against each other at the City of Liverpool College’s Vaxhaull Road campus, to be crowned the nation’s best bricklayer.
Founded in 1932, the Guild of Bricklayers aims to promote and maintain the highest standards of craftsmanship in brickwork.
Following 10 regional heats, junior and senior finalists were challenged to compete in their categories for the title. The overall winners were Adam Batty of Barnsley College in the senior category and Tom Taylor of Wiltshire College in the junior category.
Supporting competitors were a number of industry organisations including Wienerberger, MPA, Ox tools, Tilgear, Marshalltown, Stabila, Footprint and Costco.
Kevin Harold, president of the National Guild of Bricklayers, said:
“This competition is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase and celebrate the incredible skill that we have in the industry. I’m always incredibly impressed by the standard that comes through the competition, in a trade which is particularly challenging to master.
“I would like to personally congratulate all of this year’s finalists and in particular the deserving winners, who I’m sure will go on to do great things.”
Elaine Bowker, principal of the City of Liverpool College, said:
“It’s an absolute pleasure for us to have the opportunity to host this national final at The City of Liverpool College. There is some fantastic talent coming out of our country and in the North West in particular, in these trades which are facing ever-growing skills gaps.
“These skills are essential to our economy and it’s something that we’re incredibly passionate about celebrating, as demonstrated by our partnership with £5 billion regeneration scheme Liverpool Waters and the newly launched Construction Hub which will help bridge the industry’s skills gap in our city region.
“The construction industry plays a leading role in delivering economic growth and is essential in meeting the economic and social challenges that Local Enterprise Partnerships face, so it’s important that we celebrate the talent and passion that exists across the country.”
