Skip to main contentEnter
Join 7,200+ people who care about this town
Ipswich.co.uk logoSupport our work
News

Local brothers make history at national trade skills finals

In what's believed to be a first for any UK college, two brothers have both reached the podium in different disciplines at the prestigious SkillBuild national finals.

The big picture: SkillBuild is a national competition that tests the skills of construction trade apprentices. This year's finals saw hundreds of competitors from across the country competing in various disciplines.

  • George Page, 21, secured second place in carpentry

  • Sam Page, 20, achieved joint third place in plumbing

Brothers Sam and George Page
Brothers Sam and George Page both competed in SkillBuild(Suffolk New College)

Behind the success:

  • George, from Harkstead, completed a challenging two-and-a-half-day task building a garden seat with a roof.

  • Sam, who lives in Ipswich, competed over two days at Oldham College against the country's top plumbing apprentices.

  • Both brothers represented Suffolk New College and qualified through regional heats in Colchester.

What they're saying: "To have two brothers get to the national finals is very unusual — I can't imagine any other college has ever managed to have two brothers reach that level in two different construction finals," said Lloyd Ince, construction lecturer.

George, who works for SEH French, said: "The pressure was big, but I was able to manage it. To get to the final is a highly regarded achievement and I'd say to others, if you get given the opportunity to do this, get involved and enjoy the experience."

Looking ahead: Sam, who works for Whitwell Services in Hadleigh, is now hoping to progress to a selection phase in Northern Ireland that could lead to representing the country in WorldSkills, known as the skills 'Olympics'.

The bottom line: The brothers' success reinforces the quality of local construction apprenticeships, with both siblings now working towards promising careers in their chosen trades.

You can read it for free thanks to the generous support of PLMR Genesis and GBS

Despite a lack of promotion, the big reveal drew a good crowd of passersby

We're regenerating Ipswich – but we can't do it without you!

People tell us every day that our work matters – that it's making Ipswich better; that it's needed. But our work costs money, and unlike the Ipswich Star, we're not funded by national advertisers or owned by corporate US overlords. For just £4.75 a month, you can help fund our mission to restore pride of place and accelerate the much-needed regeneration of the town we call home.
Become a member →

In other news...

News

Man bailed until April following Ipswich sexual assault arrest

A 19-year-old man arrested on suspicion of rape following a serious sexual assault in Ipswich town centre has been released on police bail pending further enquiries, to answer on 27 April.
by
Continue reading →
News

Suffolk student beats 4,000 rivals to showcase art in London

Third-year fine art student Belinda Downing's installation, inspired by Bawdsey's wartime ruins, will be displayed at a prestigious exhibition after being selected from thousands of entries nationwide.
by
Continue reading →
News

Sizewell C PPE contract creates 23 Suffolk jobs

Sizewell C has appointed Suffolk Safety Solutions as its primary supplier of personal protective equipment, creating 23 new local jobs over a three-year contract.
by
Continue reading →
Load more content
Our journalism is free thanks to
Our journalism is free thanks to
Want our best content delivered to your inbox every Friday?

Have you subscribed to our free weekly newsletter?

If you haven’t, you really should. You’ll get our best content delivered to your inbox every Friday afternoon, just in time for the weekend. You can unsubscribe at any time, although 99.7% of people don’t.

  • Lee Walker
  • Joe Bailey of Brighten the Corners
  • Mark Hubert
7,260+ people are already loving it