In light of the current status of the roadmap out of lockdown, the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has reviewed the timings and plans for the CPA Stars of the Future Apprentice and Trainee Awards 2021 to ensure that nominees and winners receive the recognition they deserve.
The original plan was to host the Stars of the Future awards ceremony on Thursday 1st July 2021. It has been decided to move the awards ceremony to Tuesday 14th September 2021 so a live physical event can be hosted at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Fillongley near Coventry.
To take into account the new timings, the deadline for Stars of the Future nominations has been extended to Monday 31st May 2021. Nomination forms are available on the CPA website at www.cpa.uk.net. The headline sponsor for CPA Stars of the Future 2021 is Sunbelt Rentals UK.
Kevin Minton, Chief Executive of the CPA said: “Stars of the Future is now in its ninth year and it has become 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. Even though physical events may well be allowed from 21st June 2021, there is still a great deal of uncertainty and we didn’t want to run the risk of limiting the event to a purely online awards announcement for the second year running.
“By holding the awards ceremony a few months down the line, we hope there will no longer be any issues with events and our intention is to hold it as a live event at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre where winners are able to receive their prizes and receive rightful recognition for their efforts. Sponsors will also have the opportunity to meet and congratulate the nominees and winners face-to-face.
“We also realise that colleges have only recently returned to live classes, so by extending the nomination deadline it allows more preparation time in terms of gathering information together for the nomination process. We’d like to urge employers in the construction plant sector to nominate apprentices and trainees who they believe should be recognised as stars in the making,” Kevin continued.
For Stars of the Future 2021, several awards can be won and nominations are welcomed from plant-hire and crane 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-hire industry, organised by the CPA, the leading trade association for the plant-hire sector in the UK. The CPA has over 1,700 members who supply 85% of hired plant to the construction industry.
The awards categories for 2021 comprise:
- Plant Mechanic of the Year (Level 2) sponsored by L Lynch Plant Hire
- Plant Technician of the Year (Level 3) sponsored by NOCN Group
- Plant Operative of the Year jointly sponsored by L Lynch Plant Hire and ACOP Group
- Lifting Technician of the Year sponsored by Liebherr
- Hire Controller of the Year sponsored by L Lynch Plant Hire
- Plant Installer of the Year sponsored by L Lynch Plant Hire
- College of the Year sponsored by Flannery Plant Hire
- Best Personal Statement sponsored by Wolffkran
- Judges’ Special Award sponsored by Flannery Plant Hire
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.
The national winners for Stars of the Future 2020 were Adam Rees of Machinery Movements and Crane Hire (Plant Mechanic of the Year), Rhys Nigel John of Marubeni-Komatsu (Plant Technician of the Year), Danielle Taylor of Flannery Plant Hire (Plant Operative of the Year), Luke Reddish of Wolffkran (Lifting Technician of the Year), Iveta Tomasevska of Flannery Plant Hire (Hire Controller of the Year), Senghan Carr of L Lynch Plant Hire (CPA Award for Best Personal Statement) and Scott Laurenson of EMN Plant (Judges’ Special Award).
