This year marked the tenth year of the Construction Plant-hire Association’s (CPA) Stars of the Future Awards, and the 14 industry judges involved stated that it was the most fiercely contested awards yet.
Over 250 people attended the CPA Stars of the Future Awards hosted at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Fillongley near Coventry. The awards are intended to recognise and reward outstanding apprentices and trainees in the construction plant sector and this year the CPA received a total of 72 nominations, representing the highest ever entry figure in the awards programme’s 10 year history.
On the day, the top accolades were won by:
- National Plant Mechanic of the Year (Level 2) – Jack Howell of Marubeni-Komatsu and NSCG Stafford College
- National Plant Technician of the Year (Level 3) – Jack Chubb of Phoenix Hire & Sales and Bridgend College
- Plant Operative of the Year – Eleanor MacMillan-Currie of WM Currie and Son
- Plant Installer of the Year – Jake Hodgson of Wolffkran
- Lifting Technician of the Year – Steve Lumb of Wolffkran
- Hire Controller of the Year – Yasmin Bell of Sunbelt Rentals
- Best Personal Statement – Tom Baxendell of Bachy Soletanche and Reaseheath College
- Judges’ Special Award – Luke Cooper of Boels Rental and Reaseheath College
Kevin Minton, Chief Executive of the CPA said: “The standard of entries for Stars of the Future this year was exceptional and the judges certainly had a difficult task on their hands choosing the winners. This year’s nominees were in contention for some fabulous prizes, including tool kits, training courses, iPads, an overseas trip to visit a crane manufacturing plant and a trip to the Bauma exhibition in Munich, Germany. It really is pleasing to see the future of our industry is in safe hands.”
Stars of the Future is a national awards scheme for apprentices and trainees in the construction plant-hire 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 85% of hired plant to the construction industry.
The CPA Stars of the Future awards are intended to recognise and reward outstanding apprentices and trainees who not only bring ability and commitment to their learning and their work, but also possess those extra capabilities which mark them out as being not only the foundations of the future of the industry, but also potentially its leaders – the Stars of the Future.
Former television newsreader, presenter and journalist Merryn Myatt hosted the event this year and prior to the presentation of the awards, she co-ordinated two ‘chat’ sessions. These were with Stars of the Future judges – Arran Willis of Liebherr GB, Kirsty Archbold-Laming of Southern Hoist Services and Siôn Morgan Jones of ACOP Group – former winners Jim Baraclough of L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage who was National Plant Operative of the Year in 2021, Danielle Taylor of Flannery Plant Hire who was National Plant Operative of the Year in 2020 and Dan Pickles of LC Plant Services who was National Plant Mechanic of the Year in 2018, plus Peter Chapman of Askham Bryan College who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the event.
Nationally there are around 900 apprentices across the six main plant-based occupations. The awards categories for 2022 reflect the key occupations in the construction plant sector and correspond with the apprenticeships that are available.
The headline sponsor for CPA Stars of the Future 2022 was Sunbelt Rentals and the award sponsors included M O’Brien Plant Hire, Flannery Plant Hire, NOCN Group, ACOP Group, L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, Liebherr and Wolffkran, plus SMT GB and Southern Hoist Services. This year, Stars of the Future had a two-tier judging process – the CPA selection panel and a panel of external judges who decided the eventual winners of each category.
The external judging panel included Arran Willis of Liebherr GB, Kirsty Archbold-Laming of Southern Hoist Services, Siôn Morgan Jones of ACOP Group, Leigh Sparrow of Vertikal Press, Katie Kelleher of Select Plant Hire, Graham Black of Earthmovers Magazine, Tim Brownbridge of BAM Nuttall, Bob Harper of Sunbelt Rentals, plus independent judges Rob Allen and Gary Barnes.
The complete list of Stars of the Future 2022 winners is as follows:
Plant Mechanic of the Year – North
Jonathan Jones, CRH Plant, Askham Bryan College – Winner
Natalie Coulton, Allan J Hargreaves Plant Engineers, Myerscough College – Highly Commended
Thomas Joynt, Sunbelt Rentals, Gen2 – Highly Commended
Plant Mechanic of the Year – Midlands
Jacob Clark, Chris Clark Plant Services, NSCG Stafford College – Winner
Lucas Creasey, L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, Essential Site Skills – Highly Commended
Plant Mechanic of the Year – South
Michael Wood, AK Plant Services, Wiltshire College & University Centre – Winner
Ed Totman, Liebherr GB, NSCG Stafford College – Highly Commended
William Curzon, Speedy Services, Askham Bryan College – Highly Commended
Plant Mechanic of the Year – Wales
Jack Howell, Marubeni-Komatsu, NSCG Stafford College – Winner
Thomas Jones, GT Access, Bridgend College – Highly Commended
Plant Mechanic of the Year – Scotland
Louie Masson, GAP Group, NCC Scotland – Winner
Andrew Manson, A & D Sutherland, NCC Scotland – Highly Commended
Fraser McQueen, Marubeni-Komatsu, NSCG Stafford College – Highly Commended
Plant Technician of the Year – North
Luke Cooper, Boels Rental, Reaseheath College – Winner
Ben Thomas Brandon Hire Station Myerscough College – Highly Commended
Haydon Measor Sunbelt Rentals Reaseheath College – Highly Commended
Plant Technician of the Year – Midlands
Ryan Boden, Sunbelt Rentals, Stephenson College – Winner
Liam Laverty, M Group Services – Plant & Fleet Solutions, NCC East – Highly Commended
Plant Technician of the Year – South
Billy Mitchell, AmeyBriggs, Wiltshire College & University Centre – Winner
Adam O’Grady, Liebherr GB, NSCG Stafford College – Highly Commended
Dean Johnston, Liebherr GB, NSCG Stafford College – Highly Commended
Plant Technician of the Year – Wales
Jack Chubb, Phoenix Hire & Sales, Bridgend College – Winner
Adam Rees, Machinery Movements and Crane Hire, Bridgend College – Highly Commended
Plant Technician of the Year – Scotland
Martin Delaney, Briggs Equipment, NSCG Stafford College – Winner
Connor Campbell, Briggs Equipment, NSCG Stafford College – Highly Commended
National Plant Mechanic of the Year
Jack Howell, Marubeni-Komatsu , NSCG Stafford College – Winner
Louie Masson, GAP Group, NCC Scotland – Highly Commended
National Plant Technician of the Year
Jack Chubb, Phoenix Hire & Sales, Bridgend College – Winner
Billy Mitchell, AmeyBriggs, Wiltshire College & University Centre – Highly Commended
Plant Operative of the Year
Eleanor MacMillan-Currie, WM Currie and Son – Winner
Jessica Holmes, Flannery Plant Hire – Highly Commended
Ryan Walker, L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage – Highly Commended
Plant Installer of the Year
Jake Hodgson, Wolffkran – Winner
Lifting Technician of the Year
Steve Lumb, Wolffkran – Winner
Andrew Bowring, Ainscough Crane Hire – Highly Commended
Hire Controller of the Year
Yasmin Bell, Sunbelt Rentals – Winner
College of the Year
NSCG Stafford College – Winner
Bridgend College – Highly Commended
Best Personal Statement Award
Tom Baxendell, Bachy Soletanche, Reaseheath College – Winner
Judges’ Special Award
Luke Cooper, Boels Rental, Reaseheath College – Winner
Lifetime Achievement Award
Peter Chapman, Askham Bryan College
Photograph CPA105-1 (Pictured from left to right): Lifting Technician of the Year Steve Lumb of Wolffkran, National Plant Mechanic of the Year Jack Howell of Marubeni-Komatsu and NSCG Stafford College, Judges’ Special Award Winner Luke Cooper of Boels Rental and Reaseheath College, Plant Installer of the Year Jake Hodgson of Wolffkran, Hire Controller of the Year Yasmin Bell of Sunbelt Rentals, National Plant Technician of the Year Jack Chubb of Phoenix Hire & Sales and Bridgend College and in the foreground Best Personal Statement Winner Tom Baxendell of Bachy Soletanche and Reaseheath College.
Previous reports on the Stars of the Future awards:
CPA Announces Future Stars of the Construction Plant Sector (2021)
CPA announces the construction plant industry’s Stars of the Future (2020)
