The 2011 Youth Builder of the Year Awards

The winners of the 2011 Young Builder of the Year were announced at the Awards Ceremony held at the House of Commons on Wednesday, 12th October 2011.

Winner: - Giovanni Damiani
Runner up: - Charlie Sturdy
Commended: - Joshua Edwards-Clarke and Dean Jones

Winner: - Shane Dean Evans
Runner up: - Kerri Chambers
Highly Commended: - Jamal Abdi, Stephen Connell and Thomas Linge
Commended: - Reece Beaven, Michael Collins, Darryl Daily, Paige Duncan, Marc Dyson, Jordan Georgiou, Garry Harrigan, Stephanie McCurry, Martin Patrick Greene, Christopher Roberts, Stuart Tervet and Fergus White

For more photographs please go to the 2011 Gallery

Speeches from our sponsors - Paul Chandler of Skanska, Rob Lockey of NHBC, Paul Willis of Places for People, Dave Chandler of Northern Tool + Equipment and Joe Brennan of Notting Hill Housing - highlighted the success of the finalists at a time when the construction industry was in recession and underlined the need to give opportunities to and invest in the training of young people to create the workforce of the future.

Tommy Walsh, star of BBC's Groundforce, told the finalists and guests about how he had got into the construction industry, the struggles he had to overcome and how it gave him the opportunity to work all over the world. He urged the finalists to "work hard and grasp any opportunities that came their way".

John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, addressed the Awards and emphasised the government's commitment to creating opportunities and apprenticeships to redress the levels of unemployment within the 16 to 24 year old age group. He praised Youthbuild UK for celebrating the "vocational" achievements of young people, stating that "too often people are only recognised for their academic achievements".