Rebecca Gavigan is presented with a NWRC hoodie by Senior Marketing and PR Officer Erin Hutcheon.
A Tiling Trainee from North West Regional College (NWRC) who won the gold medal in Wall and Floor Tiling at the 2024 SkillBuild NI Regional Competition will compete in the UK National Finals in Milton Keynes next week.
Rebecca Gavigan is the only student from Northern Ireland to qualify for the Wall and Floor Tiling competition and now faces a tough challenge in her bid to be crowned the winner at the finals.
However, for Greystone campus student Rebecca, who previously achieved a first-class honours degree in Fine Art, it’s all about precision, good preparation, and staying calm.
The former St Cecilia’s College pupil is now in the second year of a Traineeship at NWRC says she’s enjoying learning a trade and hopes to progress to an apprenticeship in the future.
She added: “I’m looking forward to travelling to Milton Keynes it’s a tough few tough days of competition. I have received great support from my lecturers David McCay and Alan McLaughlin who’ve helped me prepare during the last few months.
“It’s a tight competition with some of the UK’s top trainees and apprentices participating. I have no idea what I’ll be asked to do but it will be a project, created by an expert panel of judges, that I will have 18 hours to complete.
“I’m hoping that my eye for detail will help me out.”
David McCay, Lecturer, said Rebecca has been an “exceptional student” with a “fantastic work ethic.”
“Tiling can be very physically demanding,” he said, “But Rebecca just gets on with it. She’s put in the hours preparing for this competition while also completing her traineeship.
“We are proud that Rebecca has made it to the finals of Wall and Floor Tiling. The competition project will test knowledge, skills and abilities - and will be marked by the judges at the end of the three-day competition. Competitors will also need to be able to work under pressure within strict timelines, ensure they adhere to health and safety protocols and will need to impress with their talent and finesse.”
Rebecca’s competitors in Wall and Floor Tiling come from colleges in England and Wales as the British Army Royal Engineers.
SkillBuild, delivered by CITB, is the largest multi-trade competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices.
The finals take place in Milton Keynes from November 18-21.
