Aspiring apprentice Shinnade makes her mark at national skills competition

17-year-old apprentice Shinnade Bain, from Rosyth, has achieved her first industry recognition after securing second place at a national skills competition.

Recommended by her lecturers at Fife College, first-year apprentice Shinnade was recently named runner-up in the regional leg of the CITB SkillBuild 2023 Painting and Decorating competition held at Edinburgh College.

Shinnade, who is one of Taylor Wimpey East Scotland’s youngest apprentice painters, received her impressive runner-up position after competing with students from across Scotland.

Shinnade joined Taylor Taylor Wimpey East Scotland as an apprentice painter following her successful completion of an internship as part of the Career Ready Programme in September 2022.

Shinnade said:

“I am very proud of my achievements at Skillbuild this year, and I hope that I get an opportunity to enter again next year. I would love to get to the national finals.

“Since I completed my Career Ready internship, I’ve thrived in a real work environment, and I’ve surprised myself with how much I enjoy painting and decorating.

“With Taylor Wimpey supporting me with my apprenticeship along with the support I get from my lecturers at Fife College, I’ve learnt so much but I’m already looking forward to my next challenge.”

Tommy Stirling, production director for Taylor Wimpey East Scotland said:

“We’re delighted to see first-hand the very high standard of work that Shinnade produces for us here in the region daily.

“Securing second place in the regional Skillbuild competition goes some way to recognising how much talent Shinnade has and what she has already achieved in such a short space of time. It also highlights her potential to continue to grow and succeed in this industry.

“Shinnade makes a very important contribution to our business, and we are keen to continue our support for both her and the other young people who are keen to be the future of the construction industry. This helps us to make sure that we maintain a good flow of talent into each of the trades of our business.

“Our continued support of the Career Ready Programme in Fife and our growing relationships with colleges throughout the east of Scotland is helping us to achieve some momentum with our young talent recruitment, which is great news as we look to future-proof the business and the wider housebuilding industry.”