FAQs

Competitors must be at least 16 years old from 1 September the previous year to register for a competition.

There is no maximum age limit for competitors.

As well as the minimum age restriction, competitors must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Employed in the UK having achieved a relevant UK qualification in the last 12 months
• Studying towards a relevant UK qualification
• Working towards an apprenticeship in the relevant trade in the UK.

No, the competitor can be studying their qualification from any awarding organisation.

No, the competitor can be a full-time student and still enter SkillBuild.

No, competitors are only allowed to compete in one skill at one regional qualifier, they cannot enter more than one competition.

You can register for the competition using the link found on the SkillBuild page.

No. CITB have previously delivered Regional Qualifiers and National Finals competitions as a co-organising partner under the WorldSkills UK competition framework. From 2023, the competitions will be delivered and managed solely by CITB under the SkillBuild brand.

If your student has previously entered the competition and won a gold medal at the SkillBuild National Final they are not permitted to enter a SkillBuild competition in a subsequent year.

If your student has been selected by WorldSkills UK for Squad UK or Team UK they are not permitted to re-enter the competition cycle.

If you're not sure whether your student is eligible for entry, please contact us and we will be able to confirm for you.

When each competitor is registered for a competition, they will receive a confirmation email including a schedule of the day and a tool and equipment list.

SkillBuild Regional Qualifier competitions are free to enter for competitors, however you will be responsible for covering any travel, subsistence and accommodation expenses incurred in participating in the competitions.

For finalists competing at the SkillBuild National Final, we cover the costs of your accommodation and provide a subsistence allowance, but we do not cover the cost of your travel to and from the venue.

We have no limit to the number of competitors who can enter from any employer, FE college or training provider.

If a competitor fails to attend a Regional Qualifier competition, without notifying SkillBuild in writing at least five working days before the start date of the competition, SkillBuild reserves the right to charge a non-attendance fee of £150 to the competitor directly or their registered organisation.

If a competitor is selected to progress through to the National Final stage of the competition, they need to notify SkillBuild in writing to cancel their place at least 4 weeks prior to the commencement date of the National Final competition. Failure to do so will result in any lost funds being recovered from the competitor or their registered organisation and can be a fee of up to £1,500.

Competitors can register on this website and all of the information we need is contained on the registration form. For any information not asked for on the registration form we will contact you directly.

If you are interested in becoming a SkillBuild host venue for a future competition cycle, please request an application pack from skillbuild@citb.co.uk.

After each Regional Qualifier the competition scores will be quality assured and moderated by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). We invite UK National Finalists after the regional qualifiers are finished.

Please ensure that both you and your competitor give us an email address that you can access throughout the year, including out of term time.

To be eligible to take part in the SkillBuild National Final, competitors must be within the top eight highest scoring competitors across all regional qualifiers.

This means that winning a regional competition does not guarantee a place at the SkillBuild National Final, and conversely, those who have not gained a place at a Regional Qualifier may have scored a high enough mark nationally to be invited to compete the final.

WorldSkills UK has already completed its review of the skills competitions that is preparing for at WorldSkills Lyon in 2024 and selected its squad for the event. WorldSkills UK keeps the skills competitions it runs nationally and competes for on the global stage under constant review. We will be considering the portfolio of skills competitions run nationally after 2023 that meet key priorities for the UK economy and can best help ensure high performance from UK competitors in future international competitions.

The results will be announced at the SkillBuild National Final which takes place every year usually in November.