Local brothers make history at national trade skills 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

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.