The first ever female winner of the Skills Build awards was awarded at this year\u2019s Skills Build awards, as <\/u>Demi-Leigh Graham<\/u> won the Joinery New Entrant category.<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
CITB writes:
\n<\/u>Demi-Leigh Graham was \u2018amazed\u2019 when she became the first woman to win a prestigious newcomers award at SkillBuild \u2013 and says she will be in it to win it next year too.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old from Whitefield, Greater Manchester, was named regional winner of the Joinery New Entrant category during the 2015 construction skills competition.\u00a0 \u2018I am definitely going back to SkillBuild next year,\u2019 says Demi-Leigh, who is studying carpentry and joinery at Bury College. \u2018I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll win but I\u2019ll definitely give it a go!\u2019<\/p>\n
The SkillBuild 2015 North West heat took place at Stockport College. The challenge was to build a wooden frame using different kinds of joints in just four hours.<\/p>\n
\u2018I was nervous at the beginning, but when I finished I knew I\u2019d done a good job,\u2019 says Demi-Leigh. \u2018I was amazed when I won and felt really happy.\u2019<\/p>\n
Demi-Leigh decided on a building career after studying for a Construction GCSE at Castlebrook High School. She started her NVQ Level 1 at college in September and hopes to continue studying construction at university.\u00a0\u2019I am thinking of architectural model-making as a career,\u2019 she says. \u2018I really enjoy construction because it\u2019s all hands-on. It isn\u2019t like school. It\u2019s practical and I prefer that.\u2019<\/p>\n
Demi-Leigh says more young women are joining the construction industry and is proud of being the first female to scoop the New Entrant title.\u00a0 \u2018There are only three women in my class of 18 but more women are interested in construction careers and my friends aren\u2019t surprised by what I do,\u2019 she says.\u00a0 \u2018It\u2019s difficult for a woman in a competition because it tends to be all guys, so you do feel you\u2019re under pressure and people are looking at you. That\u2019s why I was so proud to have proved myself.\u2019<\/p>\n
Demi-Leigh couldn\u2019t wait to tell her grandad the good news about her success. He was a joiner before he retired and she is following in his footsteps.\u00a0 \u2018I rang my grandad in Cornwall to tell him I\u2019d won and he was really pleased,\u2019 says Demi-Leigh.<\/p>\n
\u2018When I was growing up I remember seeing the things he made, including a fish tank and some cupboards, and thinking it looked an interesting job. I was right!\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n View the news release<\/a><\/p>\n Information on Skills Build<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first ever female winner of the Skills Build awards was awarded at this year\u2019s Skills Build awards, as Demi-Leigh Graham won the Joinery New Entrant category.\u00a0 CITB writes: Demi-Leigh Graham was \u2018amazed\u2019 when she became the first woman to … Continue reading