Apprentice Decorator of the Year finalists announced
Eight aspiring apprentice decorators will soon be going head-to-head in the final of this year’s national Crown Paints Apprentice Decorator of the Year competition held during the WorldSkills UK LIVE event in Birmingham.
We’ve been proud to sponsor the annual competition, which is organised by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and is now in its 39th year, along with other industry leaders such as British Gypsum. Hundreds of apprentices currently enrolled on painting and decorating courses competed this year, hoping to hone their skills and set themselves apart from their peers as they take the first step on the ladder of their decorating careers.
The 2018 finalists are:
- Aiden Dearie – City Building Glasgow
- Ayesha Gyimah – East Kent College
- Bridie Kilby – Leicester College
- Cain Craggs – New College Durham
- Danny Lansdown – Construction Training Specialists
- Lisa Murphy – City Building Glasgow
- Thomas Nowell – Truro and Penwith College
- Zoe Evans – Coleg Sir Gâr
The competitors first took part in a day-long decorating challenge at one of 12 regional heats this summer where their work was scrutinised by the competition’s experienced judging panel. Entrants were scored on a range of criteria including attention to detail, accuracy and finesse as well as the ability to maintain a tidy working area. The eight top-scoring apprentices overall earned themselves a place in the final and the chance to be crowned Crown Paints Apprentice Decorator of the Year 2018.
During the final, each apprentice will be given 18 hours in total over the three days to complete a new challenge, again under the watchful eye of the competition’s panel of judges, including Kevin O’Donnell, Crown Paints’ training manager and Ben Deer, a former Crown Paints Apprentice Decorator of the Year. This year the finalists will be tasked with creating a scaled-up version of an intricate design devised specifically for the final by Crown Paint’s in-house design studio. Our assistant judge, Ben Deer, revealed what the judges will be looking for in his recent blog.
The final is held as part of the SkillBuild event, organised by CITB as part of WorldSkills UK LIVE, at Birmingham’s NEC over three days from 15th to 17th November. It is the largest multi-trade competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices and covers a range of skills and sectors from bricklaying and cabinet making to plastering and stonemasonry.
Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to see how the finalists get on next month.