An apprentice from Newcastle College has claimed the gold medal at the final of a prestigious national skills competition.
Jordan Condren, a roofing and slating apprentice with award-winning building and roofing specialist Hodgson Sayers, took the top spot against seven other finalists in the final round of SkillBuild UK, the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event.
The three-day competition, held in Birmingham in November, saw apprentices from across the country compete to be the best in their chosen field. Jordan, who won silver at last year’s final, impressed the expert roofing judges and the 80,000 strong crowd with his skill, precision and attention to detail to come out on top.
He said: “It was an amazing experience to return to SkillBuild UK and climb the medal table to walk away with a gold medal.
“I’ve worked really hard this year to prepare for the competition and I’m really pleased that it paid off.
“The teams at Hodgson Sayers and Newcastle College are both extremely supportive and have really helped me to develop my skills. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Jordan, from Lemington, will now be given the opportunity to represent Great Britain at a future international roofing competition, as well as the chance to be selected for Team UK, who will travel to compete at WorldSkills Shanghai in 2021.
Also competing in the final was fellow Newcastle College and Hodgson Sayers apprentice David Crank, who successfully retained his 2018 bronze medal.
Tony Lewin, Principal of Newcastle College said: “I’d like to offer a huge well done to both Jordan and David for their achievements at this year’s SkillBuild UK final. They did a fantastic job of representing their employer as well as Newcastle College and the North East on the national stage and are both excellent ambassadors for the college.
“The success of our apprentices at a national skills competition is testament not only to their abilities but to the level of teaching from their tutors within the roofing department, including Roofing Instructor Jay Lewis and Programme Leader Alan Bessford who have mentored Jordan and David throughout the competition.
“The team at Hodgson Sayers have been a huge support to both apprentices and it is a great result for both of us. I hope we can continue to build on these successes through our partnership with the company.”