Sector training awards now open for entries

by Clair Mooney | 16 Apr, 2026 | Awards, Skills

FIS and The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers have once again joined forces and are delighted to announce that entries are now open for the annual Training Awards, an awards event which recognises excellence and achievement in the recruitment, training and development of people in plastering and interior trades.

The awards, which are headline sponsored by British Gypsum, will once again showcase the very best of the sector’s occupations and the achievements of students and apprentices, supportive employers and mentors, colleges and training providers. Last year saw 11 award winners including Plastering Apprentice of the Year Jake Waite of Wannop, Interior Trades Apprentice of the Year Nicole McKeown from Errigal Contracts, and The Skills Centre and NPTC Group of Colleges all recognised for their outstanding contributions to the sector.

The 2026 award categories will acknowledge the students, mentors and training providers who have made an exceptional contribution to learning and development in the sector.

The 2026 award categories are:

Apprentice of the Year – Plastering Trades
Apprentice of the Year – Interior Trades
Apprentice of the Year – Professional
Student of the Year – Plastering Trades
Student of the Year – Interior Trades
Colleges and Independent Training Providers
FIS Member Training Programme
Formula Trophy – supported by Formula, this award recognises contributions to the development of skills and long-term future of Fibrous and GRG plasterwork
Training Champion
Rising Star
Lifetime Contribution to Training

Master Plaisterer James Minett said:

“These awards are a highlight of the Plaisterers year and enable us to recognise professionalism across the sector. We look forward to welcoming winners and runners up in our wonderful Livery Hall.”

FIS President Ian Strangward added:

“The future of our industry depends on the skills, dedication, and passion of those committed to learning and development. The 2026 Training Awards celebrate not only the students who have demonstrated outstanding commitment but also the mentors and training providers who inspire, guide, and elevate the next generation of talent. Their hard work ensures that excellence in finishes and interiors continues to thrive. Congratulations to all those who have made an exceptional contribution – your efforts shape the future of our sector.”

Entry into the awards is now open and closes on 31 July 2026. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at Plaisterers’ Hall on 24 November.

For more details on entering these awards visit www.thefis.org/training-awards-home/

Finalists unveiled for 2025 Training Awards

by Clair Mooney | 8 Oct, 2025 | Awards, Skills

We’re delighted to announce the shortlist for this year’s Training Awards.

Celebrating excellence and achievement in plastering and interior trades, these awards acknowledge the accomplishments of apprentices and students who have exceeded expectations, training delivery by colleges and training providers, mentors and others who have supported sector training, including a lifetime contribution to training award.

Apprentice of the Year – Plastering Shortlist

Damian Hayes from Thomas & Wilsons
George Stamp from Locker & Riley (Fibrous Plastering)
Jake Waite of Wannop

Apprentice / Student of the Year – Interior Trades Shortlist

Dawson Dellar of ACS Plastering
Nicole McKeown from The Errigal Academy
Sam Woodward of Measom Dryline

Student of the Year – Plastering Shortlist

Mohammad Abuali studying at The City of Liverpool College
Monique Fenell from Cadman Manpen Systems Limited
Yusuf Ibrahim studying at Derby College

Training Provider / College of the Year Shortlist

Carlisle College
Coleg Llandrillo
Coleg Menai
Craven College
Leicester College
NPTC Group of Colleges
The Skills Centre

Formula Trophy Shortlist

Entol MFG North America Inc trading as Ceilings4U
KLLangton Decorative Plasterwork
Plaster Mouldings Direct

FIS Member Training Programme Shortlist

Rockfon
Titan
Zentia

Training Champion Shortlist

Adam Barringer
Terry McDermott
Paul Orton

The winners of the above categories, and the Rising Star and Lifetime Contribution to Training will be announced at the Training Awards Lunch on 25 November at Plaisterers Hall in London. If you haven’t yet reserved your seats you can book your place here.

Congratulations to all the nominees for their hard work and dedication in pursuing their academic goals!

Celebrating excellence at the 2025 FIS Scottish Awards

by Clair Mooney | 12 Sep, 2025 | Awards

The FIS Scottish Awards are a celebration of the exceptional work and diverse range of projects carried out in Scotland. On 12 September, the awards ceremony was held at the impressive voco Grand Central Glasgow. The event was hosted by ex-professional referee John Rowbotham and was well-attended, with guests eagerly anticipating the announcement of this year’s winners.

The ceremony began with a short speech from FIS Chief Executive Iain McIlwee followed by a welcome address from FIS President Ian Strangward who highlighted the organisation’s activities in 2025 and plans for the future.

After a fantastic three-course lunch, the presentation of the awards began. The winners were as follows:

Specialist Installation category:

Gold Award: Linear Projects for its installation at the W Hotel in Edinburgh
Silver Award: Indeglas for its installation at the Haymarket Buildings in Edinburgh

Interior Fit Out category

Gold Award: MPACT Group for its installation at Virgin Money in Glasgow
Silver Award: Clansman Interiors for its installation at Future Beauty Labs in Glasgow

Project of the Year

MPACT Group for its installation at Virgin Money in Glasgow

Apprentice of the Year: Josh Markie of Brian Hendry Interiors

Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike McLaughlin, former Managing Director of Roskel

Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award: Ricky Spinelli, former Managing Director Roskel

Congratulations to all our winners, and to everyone who entered.

FIS Awards Brochure

You can read all about the winning projects and individuals here.

Read all about the winners here

See photos from the lunch

Experience the moments from the 2025 FIS Scottish Awards through our photo collection as the event unfolded.

See photos

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Scottish Awards 2025 Shortlist Announced

by Clair Mooney | 4 Aug, 2025 | Awards

Join us on 12 September in Glasgow for our annual Scottish Awards Lunch at which we honour the outstanding projects completed by our members in Scotland. The FIS Scottish Awards showcase the remarkable achievements of our members, with each project undergoing rigorous examination by our judges. From on-site visits to comprehensive judging criteria, every aspect is carefully evaluated to recognise excellence in the field.

The standard of entries into this year’s Awards as always was extremely high, so congratulations to all companies that entered. The shortlisted projects are:

Specialist Installation

North Group – St Mary’s Chapel
Komfort Partitioning – Cala Homes
Indeglas – Haymarket Buildings
Linear Projects – W Hotel

Interior Fit Out:

Clansman Interiors – Future Beauty Labs
Clansman Interiors – Vincent Street
Scotwood Interiors – Weightmans
MPACT Group – Virgin Money

In addition to these categories, we will also be unveiling this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

You can book to attend here.

Celebrating the industry’s best

by Clair Mooney | 5 Jun, 2025 | Awards, Main News Feed

Today we have announced the winners of our annual Contractors Awards at a gala lunch held at Royal Lancaster Hotel in the heart of London.

The ceremony honoured the remarkable craftsmanship, exceptional collaboration and exemplary adherence to best practices within the finishes and interiors community. Showcasing a diverse array of fantastic projects, the event recognised the outstanding achievements of FIS members in eight categories.

Guest judge Mike Hayes, previously of PwC, announced Ornate Interiors for its work at Bradford Live, as the winner of the 2025 Project of the Year, which he selected from the award-winning projects. Here is what Mike had to say:

“Selecting one winner from an outstanding and diverse range of projects made the job of final selection extremely difficult. This project not only represents an exceptional technical achievement but revitalised an historic building which had stood derelict for two decades.”

Winners

Interior Fit-Out** sponsored by SIG
Clansman Interiors – Future Beauty Labs

Interior Fit-Out* sponsored by SIG
Titan Interior Solutions – Mulberry Academy London Dock

Partitioning sponsored by Protektor
Indeglas – Edinburgh Futures Institute

Plastering sponsored by Go Interiors
David Fisher & Sons (Edin) – Edinburgh Futures Institute

Plastering Heritage sponsored by Go Interiors
Ornate Interiors – Bradford Live

Plastering Fibrous and GRG sponsored by Go Interiors
Ornate Interiors – Re Making Beamish 1950’s Cinema

Drylining Commercial sponsored by CCF
Measom Dryline – Co-op Live Arena

Drylining Residential sponsored by British Gypsum
Yesero – Manchester Square Gardens

Ceilings sponsored by Zentia
Titan Interior Solutions – One Nine Elms

Steel Framed Systems sponsored by Hadley Group
Drywall Contracts – Holloway Head SFS Phases 1 and 2

Acoustic Excellence – sponsored by Troldtekt
Yesero – Manchester Square Gardens

Most Sustainable Project sponsored by EPD Insulation Group
The Waterman by Ambit

Project of the Year sponsored by Minster
Bradford Live by Ornate Interiors

Commenting on this year’s nominees, Independent FIS Award Judges, Tony Pieri and Colin Hunter said:

“We don’t just judge these projects on their overall finished appearance. Other factors – sustainability, design input, problem-solving, logistics, value-added initiatives and integration – are all factored into our assessment of the work involved. As ever, the final judging evaluation comes down to minimal decimal point differentiation between those achieving or not achieving an award.

“As usual, FIS contractor members have excelled themselves in presenting to us a myriad of high-quality, stunning projects and it has been a real pleasure to witness such outstanding and varied work again this year”.

The awards were announced by double Olympic gold-medallist James Cracknell OBE and presented by category sponsors Minster, SIG, British Gypsum, CCF, Go Interiors, Protektor, Hadley Group, Troldtekt, Zentia and EPD Insulation group.

The FIS Contractors Awards are held annually to encourage and promote high levels of craftsmanship and design. Not only does the FIS member who installed the contract win an award, but the architect or interior designer of an award-winning project is also awarded.

For further information about the 2026 awards, which will open for submission in July, contact us on info@thefis.org or call 0121 707 0077.

FIS Award Winners Brochure

Read more about each award-winning project here, with photos, project write-ups and judges comments.

Nominations Open for Inspiring Change Awards 2025

by Oscar Venus | 29 May, 2025 | Awards

The countdown has begun for this year’s Inspiring Change Conference & Awards, and nominations are now open.

With new and exciting categories introduced for 2025, the awards are an opportunity to highlight the individuals, teams, and organisations within the finishes and interiors sector who are leading the way in Fairness, Inclusion, and Respect (FIR) across the built environment.

Deadline for nominations: Friday 13 June 2025

You can nominate a colleague, a project, or yourself. If you or someone you know is making a meaningful impact in fostering an inclusive, respectful, and fair workplace culture, we want to hear from you.

Award Categories Open for Nomination:

TfL FIR Ambassador of the Year Award
HS2 FIR Inspiration Award
National Highways FIR Innovator Award
Network Rail SME of the Year Award

Team-Selected Awards (not open for nomination):

FIR Learner of the Year Award
FIR Lifetime Achievement Award
Diversity Data Benchmarking (SME & Large Organisation)

Conference and Awards Ceremony Details:
Date: Tuesday 15 July 2025
Venue: Grand Connaught Rooms, London

These awards not only celebrate progress but also inspire further action across the construction sector. Limited spaces are available for the conference, so early registration is encouraged.

To learn more about the award categories, judging criteria, or to submit your nomination, visit here.

Let’s continue to inspire change, starting with your nomination. Thank you for helping us celebrate the champions of a more inclusive and progressive industry.