Skip to content

'I finally decided trade would be the best way to go'

From fine art at university to studying how to tile walls and floors.

That's a journey Rebecca Gavigan, who studies in Limavady, has made.

She represented North West Regional College in the SkillBuild NI competition in wall and floor tiling.

The competition tests students from Further Education (FE) Colleges across Northern Ireland on construction apprenticeship programmes.

Read more about this story here.

6 hours ago

Apprenticeships

Northern Ireland

Construction industry

Two people are posing to the camera - on the left is a young boy, with short curly dark hair and wearing a grey polo shirt with horizontal yellow stripes. On the right is a woman with braided hair and wearing a dark red top. It is daylight and they are posing in front of the Pyramids in Egypt

'I will never stop looking for my son'

Lobna Yakout's son Zayn was taken by her abusive ex-husband while she was living in Egypt.

Northern Ireland

A woman is sitting in a room. We can see her from the shoulders up. She has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a black top, which comes up below the shoulders. We can see two tattoos on her chest. In the background is the green walls of the room and pink seats

'The man is an animal - an absolute animal' - trafficking victim

Courtney Smith was abused by 71-year-old Oliver James MacCormack, who has been given a seven-year sentence.

Northern Ireland

Firefighters on a hill tackling fire. The firefighters are in full uniform and wearinf red and yellow hats.

Firefighters say conditions make wildfires harder to tackle

Most of the 214 wildfires in Northern Ireland in recent days were started deliberately.

Northern Ireland

Mourne Mountains with gorse in foreground and mountains with smoke rising out of them in background. The sky is blue with white clouds.

Firefighters continue to tackle Mournes wildfires

NIFRS says it has dealt with 146 wildfires since midnight on Thursday.

Northern Ireland

A man with shaved dark hair in a sand coloured fire jacket stands with a white helmet under his left arm. He has yellow stripes across the jacket. A road is directly behind the man and beyond that a large light brown hill.

'One of the most significant wildfires in 25 years'

A major incident was declared on Saturday after a large gorse fire broke out in County Down.

Northern Ireland

A farmer in a bright jumpsuit and hat stands in front of a byre full of cows

'Our lives have been turned upside down,' say farmers

From April 2026, a 20% inheritance tax rate will apply to agricultural assets over a £1m threshold.

Northern Ireland

A woman with short blonde hair framed at the side of the camera shot looks at an unseen interviewer. She has a dotty blouse on

'People can express how they feel in song in community choir'

An hour-long radio special of BBC Sing! will be broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday at 16:00 GMT.

Northern Ireland

Maeve Bradley has blond hair down below her shoulders and is wearing a fawn coloured top

'All I did was have a baby' - says woman who settled discrimination case

Maeve Bradley alleged alleged she was excluded from a promotion opportunity at Citibank in Belfast during her maternity leave.

Northern Ireland

Three people stroll down a small country lane as large beech trees with long branches hang over their heads.

'We'll try to keep The Dark Hedges around as long as we can'

The Dark Hedges, made famous after appearing Game of Thrones, are coming to the end of their 250-year lifespan.

Northern Ireland

Joe Lynskey

'We will keep trying to find Joe's remains'

Human remains exhumed from a grave in County Monaghan four months ago are not those of Joe Lynskey.

Northern Ireland

Bekki has blond hair, tied back in a middle parting. She has a wooly neutral coloured scarf on and a brown trench coat. Behind her is a harbour.

'I was in severe pain' from cheap filler injection

Bekki Burns said she developed vascular erosion after getting a "cheap deal" on a lip filler procedure.

Northern Ireland

John Lemon of East Belfast Men's Shed looks behind the camera. He is standing in front of a white wall with a blue object behind him. John has short, white hair and is wearing a pair of silver framed glasses, a blue jumper and a purple plaid shirt.

Connswater tenants left 'panicked' over quick closure

John Lemon of East Belfast Men's Shed says the group "couldn't believe it" when they heard the centre would close.

Northern Ireland

Mark Easton standing on a street wearing a suit and tie

Will happier people return your lost wallet?

The BBC's Mark Easton tests the theory that happier people do good things like returning lost property.

Northern Ireland

Martina Tierney sits in her living room and looks at the camera. She has shoulder-length, light coloured hair and is wearing a black shirt. She is sitting in front of a grey sofa with a patterned wallpaper.

'I was angry after my pregnancy concerns weren't listened to'

Martina Tierney says her and her husbands concerns were ignored for many hours.

Northern Ireland

Martina Glenn with cropped grey/blonde hair is standing beside court revolving gates. She has a placard in her hand but only the world We can be seen

'I am here for my son who was killed on the A5'

Several hundred people showed up at Belfast High Court as a legal challenge against the much-anticipated road begins.

Northern Ireland

Man with short brown hair in yellow and green GAA top

'There is no such thing as one version of Irish America'

Irish heritage is still strong in America, but new generations bring new perspectives.

Northern Ireland

Keeva Nelly in a blue and white leotard and skullcup standing on a pink stage with pink and purple background

'I'll give it my best shot'

Keeva Neely, from Swatragh in County Londonderry will take on the gladiators after making it through the second episode.

Northern Ireland

Michael McMahon pulling a pint of stout behind the counter in the Celtic Bar in Washington DC. He has short, grey hair and is wearing a pink pinstripe shirt.

'Are you going to be shipped back home?'

Irish immigrants in the US say attitudes to immigration are changing due to President Donald Trump.

Northern Ireland

Woman and man both in pink outfits dancing

Olympian swaps the pommel horse for the dance floor

Olympic gold medal gymnast Rhys McClenaghan is participating in Irish broadcaster RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars.

Northern Ireland

Donald Trump

How do NI businesses feel about the prospect of US tariffs?

NI is somewhere that could be uniquely affected by the impact of both EU and UK tariffs - but businesses say they are trying to stay positive.

Northern Ireland