CPA Bulletin

12 CPA Bulletin > February 2023 www.cpa.uk.net ASSOCIATIONNEWS: 6 At the Stars of the Future awards in 2022, there were some fabulous prizes on offer to the national winners. In the last issue of the CPA Bulletin, we featured a story about two Lifting Technician of the Year winners - Steve Lumb and Luke Reddish - both of Wolffkran who were flown to Germany courtesy of the award sponsor Liebherr to visit Liebherr’s HQ in Ehingen. In this issue, we put the spotlight on Tom Baxendell, an apprentice plant fitter who works for piling contractor Bachy Soletanche. Tom was the winner of the ‘Best Personal Statement Award’ at the 2022 awards and he won an amazing prize from award sponsor Wolfkrann who organised for Tom and a guest to visit Bauma, the world’s largest construction exhibition which was hosted in Munich, Germany in October 2022. Tomwas originally put forward for the Plant Technician of the Year - North award at Stars of the Future 2022, but the judges were particularly impressed with the slick video that he submitted as part of his nomination. Choreographed all by himself, Tom took the viewer on a highly visual journey around the depot where he works, highlighting his apprentice journey so far and what he hopes to achieve in the future. Before joining Bachy Soletanche, Tom had no knowledge or previous experience in the industry, but he was keen to learn. He was actually studying graphic design at college at the time when his friend George told him about the apprenticeship vacancies at Bachy. Having been successfully recruited on Bachy Soletanche’s apprenticeship scheme, Tom repaid the favour to George by inviting him on the all-expenses paid trip to Bauma. The scale of Bauma 2022 was phenomenal, with 3,200 exhibitors from 60 countries and more than 0.5 million visitors to the show. As winner of the Best Personal Statement Award, Tomwas invited as a special guest on the Wolffkran stand and received a very warm welcome from Dave Holder, European Operations Director of Wolffkran. Dave told us: “It was a great pleasure to welcome Tom and George to the Wolffkran stand at the Bauma exhibition in Munich. We enjoyed some unseasonal, but balmy autumn temperatures. As a career crane man, it is extremely encouraging to meet people like Tom and his colleague George, who demonstrated a visible passion and a great interest for our industry. “It is reassuring to know that young people with the necessary talent and enthusiasm, continue to enter the industry. It was also a personal pleasure for me to meet two young apprentices who got so much out of the visit and, left me safe in the knowledge that with people such as these two lads coming into the plant sector, our future is in good hands.” Stars of the Future Winner Visits Bauma Courtesy of Wolffkran