A North West Regional College (NWRC) student who is
currently working as an apprentice with international company Errigal
Contracts, has been awarded Gold in Plastering and Dry Lining at the annual
Skillbuild Northern Ireland Finals.
Ryan Carlyle from Derry~Londonderry was one of 90 local
construction apprentices who competed at
the Construction and Industry Training Board (CITB) regional finals, which took
place recently at NWRC’s Greystone Campus in Limavady. He will now go on to
represent Northern Ireland at Skills Show UK, and potentially Worldskills 2019
in Russia.
The 25 year-old was one of the first group of students to
take up a place in a new Dry Lining apprentice programme offered jointly by
NWRC and Errigal Contracts, which allows participants to earn top
apprenticeship wages while learning in college.
The programme has proved to be a huge success and Errigal
are currently in the process of recruiting their second group of Dry Lining Apprentices.
Speaking after his win, Ryan thanked his lecturers at NWRC
and staff at Errigal, for their guidance and mentoring.
He added: “I had just returned from a year in Australia and
when I saw the apprenticeship in Dry Lining advertised I thought it would be a
great opportunity.
“Three of us from the class went on to take part in the
Skillbuild finals at Greystone. It was very tough and time consuming and I was
delighted to win Gold. At the moment I’m
working in Belfast, as well as taking classes at the College. It’s been vital
for me that I’ve been able to work and get my qualification at the same time.
“The apprenticeship with Errigal has been a great
opportunity and I’d encourage other young people to take part.”
He said: “Ryan joined the Dry Lining programme as part of
the first cohort of apprentices. He has committed himself fully to the project
and his work has been commended by his employers at Errigal.
“NWRC is proud to deliver this apprentice programme with
Errigal which offers fulltime employment, qualifications and the opportunity to
progress into site management.
“All this while earning top apprentice wages, having all
tools supplied plus continuous H&S training that keeps employees safe at
work.
“Ryan’s success demonstrates the benefits of Apprenticeships
and Skills training, and how our students can compete at World Level as well as
managing the demands of employment in a busy and exciting global industry.
“NWRC had in excess of 1,300 visitors at the Skillbuild
Regional Finals at Greystone and we would like to thank the many members of the
public and pupils from local schools who attended the event.”
Terry McDermott, Site Manager with Errigal and Skillbuild
Tutor with Errigal Apprentices said:
“This apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for young
people to earn their trade in Dry Lining and gain a qualification at the same
time. They are working with and learning from the best in the trade. The Skillbuild competition is a great way to
demonstrate the skills and dedication required to excel in Dry Lining. I have
been working with Errigal apprentices over the past 3 years both out on site and
in the Errigal training academy and it is great to see them take pride in their
work as their confidence grows. We are very proud of Ryan, and indeed all the
young people who took part in the NI Skillbuild final and we are looking
forward to our preparations for the UK Finals.”
Errigal and NWRC are now recruiting for their next cohort of
Dry Lining Apprentices.
For more information contact Ciara King at Errigal on ciaraking@errigalcontracts.com
or ring (+44) 2877740066