Matthew Timby, a self employed roofer working in the Leeds area has taken home the gold in the young roofer section of the International Federation of Roofing Contractors World Championships.
Mr Timby was presented with the award and World Championship title at an annual award ceremony, hosted by Leeds College of Building. The former apprentice, now working as a successful roofer, was presented with his award by the managing director of GMI Construction, Jarrod Best.
Mr Timby is originally a resident of Gainsborough, and studied for his apprenticeship in Roof Slating and Tiling at Leeds College of Building. With the backing of local construction firm Otter Roofing he was able to achieve a gold medal at the SkillBuild finals for an impressive two years in a row.
He then successfully applied for The Prince’s Trust Built Environment, who were able to offer him support as he worked towards a qualification in traditional building and conservation during an eight month course.
Although now a successful roofing contractor, Mr Timby says that he owes his success to the apprenticeship that offered him a head start in the industry.
Principal at Leeds College of Building, Ian Billyard, was full of praise for Matthew. He commented that although an apprenticeship is not essential for those looking to embark on a career within the construction industry, cases similar to that of Matthew show that it is extremely advantageous, giving participants the chance to learn skills that will be of considerable use throughout their careers.