CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2020 11 Stars of the Future ASSOCIATION NEWS: 3 As the CPA Bulletin went to press, judging was well underway for the CPA Stars of the Future 2020 apprenticeship and trainee awards programme. We are very pleased to report that we have had a fantastic response with over 70 nominations received for all categories - our highest figure to date. The standard of entries has been exceptional and the judges have some tough decisions to make. This will be the eighth consecutive year that the Stars of the Future awards programme has been held and every year, Stars has grown in stature and we felt this year - more than ever - it was important to support apprenticeships for the future of the sector, albeit in a different format due to restrictions associated with mass gatherings. Plans were in place to hold our usual physical Stars of the Future awards ceremony at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Warwickshire in June. Sadly, this was unable to take place but we felt it was crucial to still deliver the awards programme. The 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. Traditionally, Stars of the Future has only rewarded Plant Mechanic Apprentices and nominations were made by the colleges who deliver plant mechanic training but in 2019, the scope of the event was broadened to include nominations from both colleges and employers alike plus two new national titles of CPA Plant Operator of the Year and CPA Lifting Technician of the Year were introduced, in recognition of new trailblazer apprenticeships. For 2020, we have further introduced another national title - CPA Hire Controller of the Year. Judging Panel Stars of the Future has a two-tier judging process - the CPA selection panel and a panel of external judges who will decide the eventual winner of each category. ArranWillis, Liebherr Arran is employed as the Operations After Sales Manager for Liebherr. Liebherr has been a major employer of all level of apprenticeships over many years. Ed Hudson, Independent Although recently retired after working as after General After-Sales Manager for Liebherr’s crane division, Ed has acted from its inception as Co-Chair for the Plant Engineering Trailblazer working group, getting the apprenticeship through to fruition. Kirsty Archbold-Laming, Southern Hoists Kirtsy acts as Chair of the working group for the Hire Controller trailblazer apprenticeship, successfully getting the apprenticeship approved and delivered to industry. She is also the current Chair of the Construction Hoist Interest Group. Paul Whitehead, Highways England Representing the interest of a major client, Paul is a Highways England Category Manager - Plant and further manages the organisation’s Plant Community Forum. Paul is also a member of the Plant Operative Trailblazer group. Sion Morgan Jones, ACOP Training Coming from a family-based plant-hire company, Sion heads up a leading plant-based training organisation, is the current CPA Council Vice Chair and is a CPCS Management Committee Member. TimBrownbridge, BAMNuttall Having a long background in plant and civil engineering, Tim is