PLUMBING student Jonny Green's has battled his way to the finals of a national skills competition.

The 18-year-old was runner up in the Skillbuild competition, a contest designed to recognise and attract promising youngsters to the industry.

Jonny, of Northallerton, has been studying NVQ Level 2 plumbing at Darlington College of Technology and has a full time job with A J R Heating of Richmond.

Only nine months after taking up plumbing, he took part in the contest and out of 300 entries, he was placed in the last nine.

"I started plumbing last year and have been working for the past three months so I was really pleased to make the final," he said.