Lewis and Daniel Yabsley, 22, are both in their second year of their carpentry apprenticeship at The Guernsey Institute. They will travel with eight of their peers from the local college, along with another eight apprentices from Highlands College Jersey, to compete at this years’ event.
The collaborative Pan-Island Skills Test was launched in Jersey in 2024 as part of National Apprenticeship Week. Last year it was hosted in Guernsey, and this year it will be hosted at the University College Isle of Man, on Friday.
The apprentices will compete in a series of timed challenges, testing their skills in their chosen profession from a choice of six vocational areas – carpentry, electrical, plumbing, trowel trades, painting and decorating, and, for the first time, motor vehicles.
The top two apprentices in each category will be recognised for their achievements at the final awards ceremony – a perfect goal for the local twins.
‘I’m looking forward to it, hopefully we come back with the top spot,’ said Lewis.
‘As long as one of us gets it the other one can join in and share it. They usually pick third years [to enter the competition] but they asked us – hopefully that means we’re good. I feel privileged to be asked, very grateful for this opportunity. I’m just going to go there and enjoy it as much as I can.
‘I’m excited, and about going to the pub with all of the lads – but we’ve got a curfew of 9.30pm.’
The two aspiring carpenters had been working as labourers, before deciding to pursue an apprenticeship. They are currently working for Hillstone Guernsey, attending the same carpentry course at TGI one day a week.
‘I enrolled first, and then on the day of enrolment he went and got an interview, too,’ said Daniel.
‘We do everything together,’ said Lewis.
‘It’s nice to have him in the class, and if there’s a two-man task, we pair up. We’ve been practising the plans for the competition for about a month. It’s a roofing task. We already do a lot of roofing at work, so we feel ready.’
The carpentry competitors will build a pitch roof by hand – with no power tools allowed. Every competitor across the categories will be asked demonstrate their expertise and problem-solving abilities under the scrutiny of industry professionals as judges.
‘This is a valuable collaborative initiative between the islands, and the perfect opportunity for our apprentices to showcase their abilities and learn from their peers,’ said Chris Torode, director of apprenticeships at TGI.
‘As a college we are focused on ensuring that our apprenticeship programmes develop the required professional skills for our employers, and this type of event demonstrates our commitment to giving students and apprentices the broadest range of experience possible during their programme of study.
‘We are thankful to our employers for supporting this initiative and look forward to the trip and a challenging and fun competition.’
National Apprenticeship Week runs until 15 February, celebrating the value and impact of apprenticeships.
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