Fareham College bricklayer named as one of the best in the country at skills competition

Jago Gamblin, a bricklaying student from Fareham College, recently took home a gold medal in the bricklaying category at the SkillBuild final in Edinburgh, Scotland. Jago secured his place at SkillBuild earlier in the year when he competed at the regional competition hosted at Chichester College in May, securing one of the eighth-highest scores in the country.

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He and other competitors were judged across a number of areas, including their technical expertise and time management and problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to work under pressure.

SkillBuild, often dubbed the ‘skills Olympics’ offers a chance for trainees to compete in a bid to be crowned winner of their chosen trade. Winners will then go on to form a UK squad to compete internationally.

Jago said: ‘I was over the moon to hear the result; I knew I had done quite well and was hoping for a top 3 finish – however, to get the gold medal is fantastic, and I couldn't have done it without the support of George and Steve my bricklaying lecturers, I am now looking forward to hopefully going on to represent the UK in the WorldSkills in Lyon France and trying out my skills against the best in the world.’

Fareham College’s bricklaying lecturer, Steve Kirk, added: ‘The department is exceptionally proud of Jago and the outcome he secured at the competition. He performed admirably, and the work produced was to an exceptional standard.

‘Jago has completed his level one, two and three bricklaying courses at the college and I have enjoyed supporting him throughout – I look forward to seeing his success in the future.’

Deputy principal Christian Allen-Kotze is also proud of Jago’s achievement.

He said: ‘It is great to see Fareham College students demonstrate their talent and skill on a national stage. The training and support received by students across the three campuses are first-rate, and I would like to thank the work of the construction faculty for supporting Jago throughout this competition.

‘Many congratulations to Jago from all at Fareham College.’