The North Carolina Department of Labor held the 56th Annual Masonry and 6th Annual Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning contests on the state fairgrounds.

Contestants are currently employed with a company but are continuing their education through the apprentice program.

And contestant Lamal O'Neal said the motto of the apprentice program is "learn while you earn."

"It challenges you to be better because everyone likes to win," O'Neal said.

Contestant Jared Gandy said it's a good way to show off your skills.

"It's just a fun way to compete against people your age and it's a good representation for the company you work for," Gandy said.

Competition judge Doug Burton said contestants in the masonry competition had three hours to build a wall made of bricks and mortar.

"We judged them by speed, how level the project is, how straight they lay it," Burton said.

Chairman of the HV/AC-R (Heating Ventilation/Air Conditioning-Refrigeration) Harold Rudisill said that competition was a bit different.

"It consists of these apprentices going from station to station, troubleshooting and solving the problem," Rudisill said.

Judges looked at their ability to document the technical problem, fix what was broken and they also had to take a written exam.

Participant Josh Nowlin said it helps improve performance.

"It gives and accurate scale to where you are at your profession and they can hone in on things that you need to work on," Nowlin said.

First place winners received $325 and all contestants who participated get free tools to further their career.

The winner of the Masonry competition was Rhett Halman. Abdelkrim Ifkiren won the tech contest.