A STUDENT is aiming to become the best brickie in the world when he takes on five youngsters from around the UK for the right to compete at the Youth Skills Olympics in Switzerland.

Ashley Payne, 19, who studies at Accrington and Rossendale College, Sandy Lane, delighted his tutors when he won a bronze in national bricklaying finals at the North East Institute in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, and will go through to the next stage of the competition.

In a tense three days, the final year student took on 10 other champion bricklayers from all over the UK, who were given 18 hours to accurately lay a complicated 250-brick design set out by the competition judges.

According to his tutor Steve Jarvis, there was only 20 points between the bronze and gold medallists and Ashley will now be sent for expert tuition to sharpen up on his skills before the next stage.

The teenager is training for eight hours a day for an eliminator to be held at an unknown location some time next year.

At the eliminator, five other bronze, silver and gold medallists from the Ballymena event and from next April's second national finals, to be held at the college, will be competing for the chance to go to Saint Gallen, Switzerland in 2003 to take on brickies from 35 countries at the Youth Skill Olympics, which is organised by British Charity Skill Build.

Ashley said: "It was fantastic to compete at Ballymena but I was really nervous until I got going."

He added: "I decided on a career in bricklaying by chance and I'm the only bricklayer in the family, but it was definitely the right choice for me.

"I feel I have achieved something and you really need to be determined, strong and fit to be a good brickie. I don't use any special tools or bricks. It's just a case of hard work.

"I'm aiming to win the eliminator and really believe I'm in with a good chance of getting to Switzerland."