Bricklayer Darren cements his place at the WorldSkills UK national finals

After success in the regional heats, @BordersCollege is delighted to announce that student Darren Boggs has made it through to the national finals of this year’s WorldSkills UK competition-based development programme.

Darren, from Tweedbank, and a second-year Bricklaying apprentice who works for H & D Construction in Galashiels took first place in regional heats and will now travel to Edinburgh in November to compete against the other finalists.

The national finals are designed to boost skills and confidence and Darren will be hoping to emulate the success of the regional heats by impressing the judges with his high standard of work. If successful, he could see himself representing the UK at the ‘Skills Olympics’ in France in 2024.

Davie Lowe, Assistant Principal ‑ STEM & Sustainability, commented:

“We are delighted that Darren has been selected as a finalist at the nationals. These competition-based development programmes help equip apprentices and students with the lifelong, world-class skills that will help increase UK productivity and competitiveness and Darren’s success is a testament to the great work that goes on at Borders College.”

WorldSkills UK is an independent charity and works with employers, education and governments. They support young people across the world via competitions-based training, assessment and benchmarking, with members’ national teams ultimately testing their ability to achieve world-class standards in the biennial ‘Skills Olympics’.

The College would like to wish Darren the very best of luck for the upcoming finals.