THREE trainees from Bournemouth and Poole College have been selected as finalists in the prestigious Skillbuild 2015 competition.

The successful apprentices are now preparing to go up against the country's finest at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre later this month.

Tadek Barnes, 23, from Poole will compete in the bricklaying category, Jake Wilson, 19, from Poole in the joinery category and 22-year-old Ben Deer from Bridport in the painting and decorating group.

The final, on November 21, will see around 70 trainees, selected across regional heats, battle it out to be named the best in their chosen trade.

Tadek, Jake and Ben excelled at the regional heat in Chichester College and will compete against qualifiers from Plymouth, Liverpool and Leeds.

Skillbuild, supported by the Construction Industry Training Board, the Sector Skills Council and the Industry Training Board, is the longest running construction skills contest in the country at more than 40-years-old.

Roger Stone, CITB’s Sector Strategy Manager for the South West, said: "We’re really excited to hold the final of the 2015 SkillBuild competition in Birmingham. After seeing the abundance of construction talent on show at the regional heats, we’re looking forward to seeing what our apprentices can do on the national stage.

"SkillBuild is all about the way that people setting out on their construction career work. Most of the competitors are still learning so it’s not just about the finished article, it’s about the whole process that they go through. We’re hoping the final at Birmingham’s NEC will showcase the outstanding construction talent the UK has to offer, and give finalists an opportunity to excel in their chosen trade.

"It’s a great time to be in construction, as the industry continues to see impressive growth."