Two Leeds College of Building (LCB) apprentices were crowned winners at this year’s SkillBuild national final, securing first and second places in the Roof Slating & Tiling category.
Dalton Roofing apprentices Samuel Jinks and Levente Szasz won gold and silver medal places respectively at the event held at Arena MK, Milton Keynes.
SkillBuild is the UK’s largest construction skills competition. Delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the competition brings together the brightest new industry talent to battle it out and showcase career pathways across the industry.
The top eight highest-scoring competitors from 16 SkillBuild regional heats were selected to compete in the final. In total, 80 competitors across trade specialisms completed a project each under timed conditions, before an expert panel of judges tallied up the top scores.
The SkillBuild trophies come on the back of an already successful year, with Samuel Jinks named Construction Apprentice of the Year at the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards 2025, and Levente Szasz awarded Yorkshire Apprentice of the Year at the 2024 Excellence in Business Awards.
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Reflecting on the student success during this year’s competition, LCB Curriculum Manager Damien Mason-Harding said: “This spectacular success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, and it simply wouldn’t be possible without our phenomenal lecturer, David Mallory. A massive thank you also goes out to Dalton Roofing for their continued belief in the quality of training we offer. Your support and investment in the next generation of skilled roofers is invaluable!
“This victory caps an unbelievable year for our department. Earlier this year, we also won the Guild of Bricklayers National Final […] The future of the construction industry is bright with talent like this emerging from Leeds College of Building.”
Mark Sims, Leeds College of Building Skillbuild Coordinator, added: “We are so proud that two of our roofing students took podium positions in this year’s national SkillBuild final. The dedication, hard work, and commitment of learners and staff are second-to-none.
“Congratulations also go to our other LCB finalists across Painting & Decorating, Plastering, and Wall & Floor Tiling categories. Reaching the finals of this national competition is an incredible achievement in itself. All our students demonstrated exceptional commitment and professionalism, and we were very proud of every one of them.”
LCB has a fantastic track record at SkillBuild finals. Last year, four LCB students took podium positions. Apprentice Holly Taylor Whitehead took first place in the Wall & Floor Tiling category, with student Ben Gordon finishing in third place.
Student Alfie Waddington came second in the Roof Slating & Tiling category, while apprentice Wesley Proud achieved a third-place finish in Plastering.
Three other students took podium positions in 2023, and in 2022 apprentice Zara Dupont came first in Plastering & Drywall.
To find out more about studying at LCB and roofing training, visit the course directory on the college website: https://www.lcb.ac.uk/all-courses/
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