TRAINING

“THE STANDARD OF ENTRIES FOR STARS OF THE FUTURE THIS YEAR WAS EXCEPTIONAL”

Stars of the future 2021 (from left to right): Luke Thornton, Lucy O’Rourke, Amy Wicks, Liam Basson, Beth Doel, Jim Baraclough and Dean Johnston.

AN INDUSTRY IN SAFE HANDS

Graham Black reports on the potential leaders of our industry, as apprentices get the recognition they deserve

ollowing the worst of the

Fpandemic, the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) hosted one of the industry’s fi rst live events, to honour outstanding apprentices and trainees within the plant industry.

Over 220 people attended the Stars of the Future awards ceremony, held at the Heart of England conference centre near Coventry. This national awards scheme is intended to recognise and reward outstanding individuals. People who not only bring ability and commitment to their learning and work, but also possess something more: attributes that mark them out as being not only the future foundations of the industry, but also potentially its leaders.

Despite the many challenges that employers, training providers and apprentices have faced over recent months, the number of entries was one of the highest ever in the award programme’s nine-year history. As well as receiving national recognition, Stars of the Future winners won prizes on the day, including Snap-on tool kits, training courses, iPads, vouchers and an all-expenses paid trip to a factory in Germany.

Kevin Minton, chief executive of the CPA said, “The standard of entries for Stars of the Future this year was exceptional and we were delighted to welcome the nominees and winners to the awards ceremony and congratulate them in person. The judges really had a diffi cult task choosing the winners, and it was reassuring to see that the future of the construction plant sector really is in safe hands.”

I echo Kevin’s words, as I was part of the external judging panel, which had the diffi cult task of whittling down the shortlists, which were made up of the

fi nest trainees in the land. In all the categories there was no clear winner, which made my life hard, but is an indication of the quality of recent entrants to the industry.

The origin of the Stars of the Future awards scheme was to attract more young adults to the industry, particularly trainee plant mechanics. The scheme has expanded signifi cantly over the years and now includes a range of trades, including plant operator. A new

Jim Baraclough, Plant Operative of the Year.

Luke Thornton, National Plant Technician of the Year (Level 3).

2021 STARS OF THE FUTURE

National Plant Mechanic of the Year (Level 2)

Winner: Dean Johnston, Liebherr, NSCG Staff ord College. Highly Commended: Jason Pritchard, Focus Enviro./Edg-Tec, NSCG Staff ord. Lochlan Lewis, Fitzgerald Plant Services, Bridgend College.

National Plant Technician of the Year (Level 3)

Winner: Luke Thornton, GGR Group, Activate Apprenticeships. Highly Commended: Tom Willgoose, Traction Equipment (Staff ord).

Plant Operative of the Year

Winner: Jim Baraclough, L. Lynch Plant Hire. Highly Commended: Sid Verrill, L. Lynch Plant Hire.

Plant Installer of the Year

Winner: Liam Basson, Falcon Tower Crane Services. Highly Commended: Danny Walden, L. Lynch Plant Hire.

Hire Controller of the Year

Winner: Amy Wicks, L. Lynch Plant Hire. Highly Commended: Lucy Adams, GAP Group.

College of the Year

Winner: Askham Bryan College. Highly Commended: Reaseheath College.

Best Personal Statement Award

Beth Doel, HSS, Reaseheath College.

Young Business of the Year Award

Joseph Rollitt, Grasmere Plant Hire.

Judges’ Special Award

Lucy O’Rourke, Sunbelt Rentals, Reaseheath College.

Dean Johnston, National Plant Mechanic of the Year (Level 2).

category in this year’s scheme is plant installer. This is intended for both those training to commission machinery on site, such as cranes and mining excavators, but also for those who are learning how to install sophisticated systems, such as 3D GPS and tilt-rotators.

I was impressed with all the fi nalists, across all the categories, but three super stars of the future stood out for me. Particular congratulations to Jim Baraclough of L. Lynch Plant Hire (Plant Operator of the Year), Dean Johnston of Liebherr (Plant Mechanic of the Year) and Luke Thornton of GGR Group (Plant Technician of the Year).

Without wishing to embarrass these individuals, so in no particular order, when thinking about their potential I had one marked down to become a chartered engineer, one destined for senior management and one that could become a millionaire! That’s a refl ection of the realistic opportunities available within the plant community, as the quality of all the fi nalists is a strong indication that our industry will be in good hands.