To celebrate International Women's Day, Lewisham College hosted a plumbing and electrical Buildsmart Skills Competition for female construction learners, trainees and tradeswomen this week at its specialised campus in Deptford Bridge. 

The competition, organised in partnership with ESG Limited, was designed to encourage more women to enter the construction industry and showcase highly skilled electrical and plumbing learners, trainees, and tradeswomen competing to deliver an industry-standard task within a time limit.

On the day, contestants from Lewisham College, London and the Southeast got an insight into the standard of work required in the industry. They also had the opportunity to meet and network with representatives from various sector employers who sponsored the competition, including HSS Training, YESSS Electrical, TG Lynes, Band of Builders and Edmundsons Electrical.  

Jayne Morgan, Vice Principal at Lewisham College, said: "We're delighted to have run the International Women's Day Plumbing and Electrical Buildsmart Skills Competition for a second year and to see the impressive level of work and skills from all the contestants.   

Running this type of event at our specialist construction campus is an excellent way to celebrate the achievements of young women and recognise their talent, abilities and skills during International Women's Day. This serves as a platform to raise awareness of the opportunities available in the construction and engineering industry to empower and encourage more women to consider the sector as a career option."

Stephanos Yohannes from ESG, said: "We are incredibly pleased to be partnering with Lewisham College to rerun the competition this year. This event is part of our Buildsmart Skills initiative to celebrate women in construction and to offer an opportunity to contestants to highlight their knowledge and skills and to network with sector employers."  

The competition was assessed on the following criteria: working safety, positioning of the equipment, wiring and termination, installation quality, inspection, and testing with the finished entry pieces judged thoroughly by qualified professionals from the sector. 

Karen Boom from Oasksmere Design Limited judged the electrical category. She   said: "This event is not only important for the people that plan to work in this industry but also to raise awareness and encourage more girls and women to choose construction as a career. During today's competition, we saw the high standard of work and camaraderie between the contestants who learnt from each other and supported one another."

The competition concluded with an awards ceremony where the winners received tool kits, equipment, and amazon vouchers to help them prepare for their careers in the trades. 

The electrical category winners were:  

• Cara Netherton  
• Caitlin-Rose Kerslake 
• Remi Newman 

The plumbing category winners were:  

• Daisy Turner 
• Hailey Dowler 
• Darcy Brohan 

To learn more about the Construction and Engineering courses offered at Lewisham College, visit lewisham.ac.uk/construction