Students brought home a cabinet’s worth of trophies from a competition showcasing the best in building trade skills.

The Barking and Dagenham contestants took home two gold, three silver and three bronze medals in the regional SkillBuild competition.

Having shone for their skills in bricklaying, plastering, carpentry, painting and decorating, they now could go through to the national finals held later this year.

Mike Paxton, curriculum director for construction at the college, said: “It’s a testament to the hard work they have put in to their studies and of the high standards achieved by all of our construction students. We are very lucky to have a well-resourced department, state of the art industry standard workshops and dedicated staff who know that entering competitions such as SkillBuild provides an excellent tool to motivate students, raise their expectations and develop their skills.”