A Scottish apprentice has beaten over a thousand young hopefuls working in construction to be named Britain's best construction apprentice.

Martin Quinn (18), an apprentice from Coatbridge, won The Frank Eaton Memorial Trophy at SkillBuild, Britain's biggest skills competition. The trophy commemorates Frank Eaton, a former apprentice who became chief executive and chairman of Barratt. The trophy goes to the apprentice who demonstrates outstanding performance and attitude during the competition.

Martin, who attends South Lanarkshire College and is employed by Avondale Roofing Ltd, Glasgow also scooped the Gold award in the roof slating & tiling section, one of the eleven construction trades that form SkillBuild. The finals were held at Leeds College of Building from 1st - 3rd October 2008.


Two other South Lanarkshire College apprentices also picked up accolades during the competition. Gary Riley (19) of GMG Contractors, Glasgow picked up the Bronze award in the Roof Slating & Tiling section and Scott Wright (17) scooped the Bronze award in the plastering section.

The competition saw the apprentices carry out a project in a set timeframe, from plans given out on the day. The results were judged by technical experts from the industry.

Martin said: "This was the first time I entered SkillBuild. My heart was absolutely pounding when I received the award, I was so nervous. I can't believe I won and my parents will be so proud! I really enjoyed meeting all the other people in the final as well."

This year, ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry, took over management of SkillBuild. The competition is part of an ongoing strategy to encourage more young people to consider a career in the construction industry, and to boost the skills of those already in training.

Martyn Price, Chairman of the SkillBuild board, said: "We're delighted with the level of expertise and commitment shown by Britain’s construction apprentices at this year’s SkillBuild Final. The guys from South Lanarkshire College have demonstrated their skill exceptionally in each of their categories and will no doubt go on to have a successful career in construction."

The SkillBuild final was the culmination of eleven regional heats that took place this summer and saw entries from more than one thousand 17-21 year old men and women currently training in construction.

(GK/JM)