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16th Dec 2025
The Christmas break is almost upon us, and our Construction workshops have been filled with festive spirit as students showcased their skills in the Christmas Build Challenge judged by Beard and DeWalt. This competition formed part of the DeWalt Power Tool Demonstration Day, bringing together creativity, technical skill and meaningful links with the construction industry.
Electrical, Plumbing and Carpentry students enjoyed a full day of hands-on learning led by Matthew Cappell from DeWalt, who demonstrated the latest professional tools while sharing valuable industry knowledge and experience. Matthew also joined Adrian Cook from Beard Construction in judging the competition, highlighting the College’s strong and growing partnership with Beard and both organisations’ commitment to supporting and developing future construction talent.
Tasked with creating a Christmas-themed build using the skills and knowledge learned on their courses, students pushed their practical and creative abilities to new levels.
Winner 1: Tommy, Level 2 Site Carpentry, impressed judges with a precision-built wooden tree that doubled as shelving.
Winner 2: Sonny, Level 1 Plumbing, stood out with a striking copper pipe reindeer.
Winner 3: Lewis, Level 2 Bench Joinery, created a well-finished wooden snowman.
Runner-up: Louie, Level 2 Site Carpentry, created an impressive large wooden Christmas tree.
Thanks to DeWalt’s generous support, all our winners and our runner-up received a selection of prizes including toolboxes, Amazon vouchers and sets of DeWalt drill bits, all to support their future learning and careers.
Our Construction courses are designed to prepare learners for real careers. Students benefit from top-class facilities, specialist tutors and hands-on learning in areas such as Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical Installation and Bench Joinery. Courses focus on developing practical skills alongside industry knowledge, with opportunities for work experience, site visits and enrichment projects that reflect real construction challenges.
Whether you’re a school leaver or an adult looking to upskill or retrain, our full-time and part-time Construction courses provide clear progression routes into apprenticeships, employment or further study.
