Local apprentice wins National Skillbuild Competition - Jun 2007

A local firm of stonemasons under the direction of Ian Knapper are celebrating a triple victory as apprentice George Plant wins the 2007 National Skillbuild competition. This is the third time Ian’s team have collected the top prize.

Following in the footsteps of Ian Knapper and stonemason Stephen Woolley, 20 year old apprentice George Plant won the National Skillbuild competition 2007 in Stonemasonry. The National Skillbuild competition managed by the UK Skills organisation, gives talented young apprentices the opportunity to demonstrate their skills at competition level in any of the 40 trade categories. The competition categories include stonemasonry, bricklaying, beauty therapy, joinery and hairdressing to name a few.

Supported by the City of Bath College for Stonemasonry and by Ian Knapper through his apprenticeship, George was encouraged to enter the competition which resulted in a triumphant win. After initially receiving joint first place with another candidate, George then went onto win the stonemasonry category after a “play off.”  Following his success George has now been selected to join the UK team, where 21 hopefuls will be competing in their respective trade categories on an international level at the WorldSkills competition in Japan later this year. The WorldSkills competition sees 48 member countries gather to compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals in each category.

Commenting on George’s achievement Ian Knapper stated that, “George has done exceptionally well as a result of putting in a lot of hard work and we wish him all the best at the forthcoming WorldSkills 2007 Competition.” Ian himself knows the amount of work that goes into preparing for these competitions as he won the National SkillBuild Competition in Stonemasonry back in 1994. He then went on to win the bronze medal at the WorldSkills competition in Lyon in 1995.

In addition, team member Stephen Woolley won the National competition back in 2002 and he also collected the bronze medal at the Worldskills competition in St Gallen in 2003. Looking at the Ian Knapper team as a whole Ian stated that, “were a growing team of stonemasons here, but to have three competition winners in our team speaks volumes in terms of our abilities and quality of work. We are continually being recognised for producing beautiful, innovative designs in stone for our clients whether they are looking for a fireplace, staircase or garden feature.”

For further information please contact Sally Greaves, Moggs Marketing Communications Ltd, The Mill, Lodge Lane, Derby, DE1 3HB. Tel: 01332 363957. Email: sally@moggs.org

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