Paul Wins Special Construction Award

Walsall College Brickwork Apprentice, Paul McCone recently competed in regional final of the prestigious Guild of Bricklayers junior competition, winning the Derek Spencer Award.

The regional final of the prestigious Guild of Bricklayers competition took place at Warwickshire College’s new Rugby Centre on Friday 15th April, with the best of college students from across the West Midlands taking part.

Competitors had five hours to complete a piece of feature brickwork and were judged on speed, accuracy and overall appearance. Junior competitors had to produce a welsh arch, while senior competitors built a feature panel.

The Judges of the competition complemented Paul on his effort, and the high standard of his brickwork model. As winner of the trophy, Paul will now be eligible to compete in the senior competition next year and aims to compete in the world Skills competition in the future.

Successful apprentice, Paul McCone who is currently in the 1st year of his apprenticeship with Vale Pride Developments (Stourbridge) said: “This was a great experience for me to test my skills against the best in the Midlands, and I am delighted with the win. I would also like to thank Mike Wellings (Lecturer) and Les Betts (Trainer Assessor) for their help in preparing me for the competition”.

Walsall College Trainer Assessor, Les Betts added: “Paul put on a fantastic display of his skills during the regional competition and we are very proud of him for picking up the winning trophy on the day. The Guild of Bricklayers competitions are designed to find the very best brickwork students from across the country and we will all be supporting him to compete at the senior level next year. Vale Pride Developments are also keen to support Paul through his career and are currently considering progressing Paul to a HNC or similar academic construction course with Walsall College”.