Lucy Brushes Up Skills in Final

A Walsall College Painting and Decorating Apprentice recently competed in the national final of the Dulux Apprentice of the Year competition, achieving fourth place overall. The final, which was held at Bridgend College in South Wales, was extremely close, with only eight marks separating the top four.

Lucy Porter, accompanied by Work Based Assessor Paul Price and employer Dave Rosser of Hankinson’s, spent three days in Wales, one and a half days of that being competition time. It culminated in a Grand Presentation Gala at the Celtic Manor, where she was presented with a certificate, trophy and goody bag. The winner from Doncaster won £1000, plus £1000 worth of tools and free training courses.

The competition, which comprises of nine heats around the UK, is designed to test the skills and creativity of apprentices. The Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice of the Year 2011 competition is open to all apprentices between the ages of 17 and 24 years, who are on a recognised painting and decorating course, studying an NVQ or SVQ level 2 or 3, alongside working in the industry.

The competition aims to cover various elements of painting and decorating, and each student was tasked with a series of applications. Wallpapering, stencilling, waterborne glosses and special effects, were all included in the practical heats and the overall winner will be selected for showcasing skills across the board.

Barry Hill, Curriculum Manager for Painting and Decorating, said: “Lucy now has her eye on top spot and is one to watch for the future. She is a first year apprentice and this is the first competition she has entered. It’s a fantastic achievement for her to have not only won the regional heat but come fourth in the country. I’ll be stepping up the competition training next year and Lucy is eager to get back on to the competition trail. Her aspirations and ambitions are now higher as a result of the competition. I’d like to thank the many staff behind the scenes who’ve contributed in many and varied ways”.

Lucy commented: “I’m very proud of myself; I feel I have achieved something really exciting. It’s a great feeling to have come fourth in a national competition and I am now looking forward to developing my skills further and want to win next year!”.