TWO Chard apprentices have picked up medals in the regional heats of a national construction skills competition.

Thomas Keal, 19, of Train4All Construction Training, won gold in the wall and floor tiling category at the South-West stage of SkillBuild 2010.

Fellow Train4All trainee Ben Knutt, also 19, landed a silver medal in the same category.

The contest, run by ConstructionSkills, sees the UK’s most promising trainee tradespeople battle it out in 14 regional heats, culminating in a national final crowning Britain’s best construction trainee.