CPA Bulletin

STARS OF THE FUTURE: 2 A lot of interest was generated by the Serious Labs MEWP virtual reality (VR) simulator provided by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). This piece of high tech clearly struck a cord with ‘PlayStation generation’ youngsters who are now well versed in VR gaming. And, to appeal to the football fanatics amongst the visitors, the Falcon team were running a football challenge. Good information on working for a plant hire company was provided by A Plant and Clee Hill Plant. Usefully there were current and former apprentices on hand so students could talk to them about their experiences of starting a career in the industry. Other companies such as plant tracking specialist AMI Group were also available to talk about other aspects of the industry. The CPA Schools Experience Day concluded with a ‘Meet the Professional’ Q&A session where students and teachers had the opportunity to address those working in the industry. The event was hosted in conjunction with Big Bang Near Me and it proved to be a great success. CPA Chief Executive Kevin Minton says, “This was an initial taster event and our intention is to explore how we can replicate it, expand it even further and carry out future schools events in conjunction with CPA Members in other parts of the country. Our aim is to become more outward facing and visible to the young people who will become the plant operators, engineers and controllers of the future and occupy other roles in the industry.” Hopefully some of the pupils who attended this first CPA Schools Experience will have been sufficiently inspired to ultimately follow in the footsteps of the young plant mechanics whose ability was recognised in this year’s Stars of the Future awards. Now in its sixth year, and staged in association with A-Plant, this worthy event identifies some of the industry’s emerging talent from the almost 700 plant mechanic apprentices who were eligible for the esteemed awards. The 2018 award ceremony saw some over 300 apprentices, family members, college tutors and employers arrive at the England Conference and Events Centre. The apprentices came from across the UK where they are employed by a wide variety of companies. Plant makers employing apprentices included Alan Hargreaves Plant Engineers, Bomag GB, Haulotte, JCB, Komatsu Mining Germany, Liebherr GB, Parker Plant and Wirtgen. Dealers with apprentice included Briggs Equipment, Ernest Doe, Finning, Fitzgerald Plant Services, Greenshields JCB, Marubeni-Komatsu, Molson Group, Scott JCB, SMT GB, TC Harrison JCB, Warwick Ward Machinery, Watling JCB and Willowbrook Plant Services. The list of contractors with apprentices eligible for the awards included Balfour Beatty, Barhale Construction, Clancy Group, F M Conway, Holgate Construction, Jones Bros Civil Engineering, Keltbray, Laing O’Rourke, Larfarge Tarmac, Murphy Group, North Midland Construction, Seddon Construction, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Story Contracting . The rail industry plant providers with apprentices included AB2000, Alan Hargreaves Plant Engineers, AP Webb Plant Hire, QTS Rail, Quattro Plant, Stobart Rail, Torrent Trackside, TXM Plant and Van Elle. Cranes and access platform companies with apprentices represented at Stars of the Future 2018 included AFI Uplift, AGD, Ainscough Crane Hire, City Lifting, Crowland Cranes, Dewsbury & Proud, Eagle Platforms, Facelift, Falcon Tower Crane Services, GT Access, Horizon Platforms, Lifterz, Loxam Access, Nationwide Platforms, Quinto Crane & Plant, Premier Platforms, Riwal, Select Plant Hire, Smart Platform Rental, Star Platforms and Weldex. A selection of the very many plant hire companies planning for the future by training apprentices includes Ambrose Plant Hire, A-Plant, Arnold Plant, Banner Plant, Boundary Plant, CBL, Charles Wilson Engineers, Chepstow Plant International, Chippindale Plant, Clee Hill Plant, Clements Plant & Tool Hire, Coppard Plant Hire, CRH, Emmitt Plant, Flannery Plant, GAP Hire Solutions, Garriock Bros, Hessle Plant, Hire Station, HSS, Jarvie Plant, Jennings Plant Hire, John Nixon, Kelston Sparkes, L Lynch, Mackay Plant Hire, Martin Plant Hire, M&J Engineers, Mervyn Lambert Plant, Mulholland Plant Services, Newmarket Plant Hire, P J Cary Plant Hire, SLD Pumps, Speedy Services and Vp. The apprentices who had been nominated for awards this year had been trained at Askham Bryan College, Bridgend College, the Finning Academy, Glasgow Kelvin College, Myerscough College, the National Construction College (Bircham www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2018 15