Following a challenging and exciting two-day, pitched and flat roofing competition at the BMI Academy, roofing apprentices Jamie Scott, of Bourne-based Sandall Roofing, and Brandon McGrail-Manning, of SPV Group, Walsall, have been declared winners of the 2021 BMI Apprentice of the Year competition. Jamie, who trains at Leeds College of Building, was the winner of the Pitched Roofing category, while Juniper Training student Brandon won the Flat Roofing category.
Both winners receive a £1000 prize, a bespoke trophy 3D printed at the BMI Technical Centre and three years’ worth of training support from the BMI Academy.
“Winning the BMI Apprentice of the Year means a lot to me. I work with Building Futures which is a study programme which helps out young people who haven’t had the best of backgrounds and I want to bring hope to them and show them anyone can do it”, says Brandon.
Jamie says, “Taking part in the Apprentice of the Year has really opened my eyes to the opportunities roofing and construction can offer me. It has also shown me what I can achieve. I have met a variety of people from all different backgrounds throughout the competition, and all of them achieving so much has inspired me to push myself even harder and further. I have made some lifelong friends from all over the country, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us all”.
The competition was steep, with all 13 pitched and flat roofing finalists demonstrating consistency and excellence in many areas during the event. Competitors were tested on a multitude of subjects including practical demonstration, presentation, business planning, and technical skills.
In addition to the winners, two further apprentices were recognised for their consistent high standards across all tasks, being awarded Highly Commended in the competition. They are Keeley Howell of Sussex Asphalte (Flat Roofing) and Kai Hunt-Beech of J. Martin & Sons, Corsham (Pitched Roofing).
The competition culminated with the BMI Apprentice of the Year awards dinner where all of the finalists, their tutors, employers, judges and industry stakeholders joined to celebrate the winners of the competition and the future of roofing. The 2021 winners were announced by BMI’s Marketing and Technical Director Paul Campbell and Sales Director Fraser Biles.
Speaking at the awards dinner, Paul said, “We want this competition to inspire tomorrow’s roofers and this year’s crop of finalists are hugely inspirational, representing the future of British roofing.
We think it is crucial to recognise such talent to encourage people into the trade and the ability and potential we’ve seen over the past two days is great cause for celebration.
Our thanks go to the apprentices, their employers and their tutors for the energy and enthusiasm they brought to the competition”.
Andy King, head judge and former president of the NFRC, said, “We really missed …….