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Employers Invited to Recognise and Reward Construction Plant Apprentices and Trainees for 2022 Employers across the construction plant sector are being invited by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) to recognise and reward their construction plant apprentices and trainees. The CPA’s Stars of the Future Awards 2022 are now open for entries and with around 900 apprentices across the six main plantbased occupations, employers again have the opportunity to nominate their outstanding apprentices and trainees who they see as being the industry’s future leaders. Nominations are welcomed from all employers including plant-hire companies, manufacturers, contractors, suppliers and others operating in the construction plant sector with apprentices and trainees in their workforce. Stars of the Future is a national awards scheme for apprentices and trainees in the construction plant industry, organised by the CPA, the leading trade association for the plant-hire sector in the UK. The CPA has over 1,800 members who supply some 85% of hired plant to the construction and allied industries.
awards. It is now firmly established as the premier event of the construction plant sector for recognising and rewarding the skills and calibre of the industry’s apprentices and trainees. There were 70 nominations from across the industry for Stars of the Future in 2021, and we anticipate there will be even more nominations this year. “As the nominations closing date is 31 March 2022, we urge employers to act now and complete and submit their nominations in good time. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the CPA website at www. cpa.uk.net/skills-training/stars-of-thefuture. You can also watch a video clip of last year’s event to find out what Stars of the Future is all about,” he continued. The 2022 winners will be announced at a live awards presentation at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Fillongley, near Coventry, on 7th July 2022. Stars of the Future winners will be in contention for a number of prizes, as well as national recognition. Previous prizes have included Snap-on tool kits, iPads and an all-expenses paid trip to Germany to visit a Liebherr crane manufacturing plant. For more information, contact https://www. cpa.uk.net/skills-training/stars-of-the-future st
2022 marks a landmark year for the CPA’s Stars of the Future Awards as it is the tenth year of the awards programme. This year, six national titles will be awarded - Plant Mechanic of the Year (Level 2), Plant Technician of the Year (Level 3), Plant Operative of the Year, Plant Installer of the Year, Lifting Technician of the Year and Hire Controller of the Year - as well as some special awards.
10 Anniversary th
Kevin Minton, Chief Executive of the CPA said: “Each year, Stars of the Future gets bigger and better and we’re very excited that this year marks the tenth year of the
Speedy Moves Decarbonisation Up a Gear with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Switch the overall carbon footprint of their projects.”
National construction equipment and services provider Speedy is now fuelling its delivery fleet with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) that will save 5,000 tonnes of CO2e over the next 12 months.
“The switch to HVO fuel across our commercial fleet also helps the business to instantly reduce carbon emissions without wastefully retiring diesel powered assets early in favour of new vehicles, particularly while electric and hydrogen technologies continue to advance and mature.”
The move covers delivery vehicles, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and tankers at 21 of its biggest locations across the country, representing 92% of the company’s HGV fleet HVO emits up to 90% less carbon compared to red diesel and the switch by Speedy will save the equivalent CO2 of heating 1,820 UK homes for a year. Speedy will use Green D+ enhanced HVO as its preferred fuel, which removes 11% of Nitrogen Oxide emissions and is 20% lower in particulates than standard HVO, contributing to safer air quality for site workers and neighbouring communities. The move will see the business become the first hire provider
to deliver low-emission fuel and equipment in vehicles also run-on biofuels, helping to cut emissions in the construction supply chain. It represents the first major phase of the firm’s transition to a fully low-carbon fleet by 2030. The company is also reviewing how staff vehicles can refuel with HVO at Speedy sites to help further reduce its overall emissions. Mike DeRome, Head of Fuel at Speedy, said: “We’re
setting ambitious targets for reducing our environmental impact while simultaneously investing millions in low carbon equipment for contractors, as we set out to lead the way in decarbonising construction hire.
The switch is part of a wider rollout of HVO across the business, which has already seen Speedy’s Powered Access division move to refuelling all machinery with HVO as standard. Its power division is also set to make the swap before the end of the year.
“Our fuel usage comprises the largest part of the business’ carbon footprint, making it a priority area for us to take action. Reducing emissions in our delivery fleet helps customers to make big gains in decarbonising their supply chain, reducing
Speedy is the UK’s leading provider of tools, equipment and plant hire services to a wide range of customers in the construction, infrastructure and industrial markets, as well as to local trade and consumers. It operates from 200 sites across the UK and Ireland.
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