Winners announced at 2024 Training Awards

by Clair Mooney | 5 Dec, 2024 | Skills

FIS and Worshipful Company of Plaisterers have announced the winners of the sector Training Awards at its gala lunch held at Plaisterers’ Hall in London today.

In front of a packed audience at Plaisterers’ Hall, the winners of the 2024 Training Awards were announced and presented by Guest Speaker and TV personality Mark Millar.

The Awards are a collaboration between FIS and The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers to recognise outstanding apprentices and students, and individuals and organisations that have made a lasting contribution to training and development in plastering and interior trades. Also recognised were the Rising Stars of our sector and a Lifetime contribution to skills and training development.

James Minett, Master of the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers, said “The Company is absolutely delighted to once again host these prestigious awards in our magnificent Hall. We are very pleased to have once again teamed up with FIS to recognise the achievements of many within plastering and the finishes and interiors sector”.

Commenting on the awards, FIS President Ian Strangward said: “I congratulate all the amazing people shortlisted today. It is a good choice to join this rewarding sector and well done on your achievements to date”

The 2024 award winners are:

Apprentice of the Year – Plastering
WINNER: Paige Martin of Drywall Contracts

Runners up: Newton Robinson of Andrew J Winner Plastering and Oliver Berwick of Decorative and Ornamental Plastering

Apprentice / Student of the Year – Interior Systems
WINNER: Shaun McKenna of Errigal Contracts

Runners up: Jason Russell of Measom Dryline and Jacob Milsom of Tapper Interiors

Student of the Year – Plastering
WINNER: Alicia Johnson studying at the City of Liverpool College

Runners up: Ruby Hillary, studying at Coleg Llandrillo and Tyler Davies-Brown studying at The College Merthyr Tydfil

Professional Apprentice of the Year
WINNER: Jake Jones of Measom Dryline

Runners up: Michael Dillon of OCL London and Ben Holden of OCL Facades

Colleges and Independent Training Providers (large)
Winner – NPTC Group of Colleges
Runner up – Llandrillo College Rhos on Sea

Colleges and Independent Training Providers (small)
Winner – Carlisle College
Runner up – Craven College

Formula Trophy
WINNER: South Lanarkshire College

FIS Member Training Programme
WINNER: Zentia

Training Champion
WINNER: Kate Kerslake of CarringtonLime Heritage Skills CIC

Rising Star
WINNER: Edward Tapper of Tapper Interiors

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

Our thanks go to our awards and event sponsors British Gypsum, Saint-Gobain Formula, The Plaisterers Charity and CITB.

Read all about the winners here

Click Here

See more news likes this

Help tackle one of construction’s biggest killers

Jun 18, 2026

Silica dust remains one of the most serious, and often overlooked, killers in construction. Every day, workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica, a hazard linked to life‑changing and fatal illnesses, yet awareness, training and consistency of control still...

Meet your future workforce – Help needed at Skills Bootcamps

Jun 16, 2026

The skills shortage in the Finishes and Interiors Sector isn’t going away and addressing it will take a more joined-up, practical approach across our industry. That’s exactly what we’re working to deliver. FIS has partnered with The Skills Centre to run a series of...

FIS members question case for CITB–ECITB merger

Jun 16, 2026

FIS has submitted its response to the consultation on the proposed merger of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), reflecting feedback from employers across the finishes and interiors sector....

FIS Fighting your Corner with newly formed Skills England

by Oscar Venus | 29 Nov, 2024 | Membership, Skills

FIS CEO, Iain McIlwee participated in a roundtable this week with Skills England looking at the New Government’s approach to skills, training and education as it applies to construction. Skills England is a new arms-length body established by Government with the intent to bring together key partners to meet the skills needs of the next decade.

Iain joined a select group of representatives from the Department for Education, Skill England and across construction.

The three key topics covered were:

Current and future skills gaps – building on the current understanding of skills needs
Training routes and talent pipeline
Policy solutions (i.e. What can the government/ employers/ training providers do to address the current and future skills needs?)

Iain highlighted the fundamental challenges employers, particularly SMEs, face when required to invest in skills and the shortcomings of funding in line with the expectation of the level of investment required to make an individual work ready and productive. The failure of the education system to ensure that people leave school with an appreciation of the opportunities available in construction and the demonstrable failure on the current apprenticeship system that means the average UK apprentice is now over 25 and effectively studying for a degree.

All of the points Iain made were drawn from a Policy Position paper that has been agreed with the FIS Skills Board. This has not been published widely as FIS is seeking to collaborate with other specialist organisations to turn it into a cross sector manifesto. If you are interested in seeing a copy and commenting on this working draft, please email Beena Nana: beenanana@thefis.org.

For more information about the FIS kills Board, click here. We are always looking to grow the Skills Board and support for our work in this arena. If you are interested in finding out more, you are welcome to attend the next online meeting scheduled for the 10^th December 2024. To receive your invite, please email Beena Nana: beenanana@thefis.org.

CITB Skills and Training Conference heading to Wales

by Oscar Venus | 29 Nov, 2024 | Events, Skills

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is pleased to be hosting its next Skills and Training Conference in Wales on January 23.

Following the success of CITB’s Skills and Training Conferences in Manchester and Scotland in 2024, this one-day event in Cardiff is the latest step in a revitalised engagement programme for employers and training providers from CITB’s Customer Engagement team. CITB’s executive team will be there to meet employers, training providers and other industry stakeholders.

The conference will share key information and updates, discuss challenges, and outline how the construction industry can work towards narrowing the skills gap.

Construction companies and employers can find out more about hot topics like the Building Safety Act and Social Value, while receiving one-to-one support on accessing CITB funding and services, including the new Employer Network initiative.

Training providers, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to hear about the industry’s major opportunities and meet construction companies and industry trade federations.

Julia Stevens, Engagement Director Wales, CITB, said:

“We’re extremely excited to announce that the CITB Skills and Training Conference is heading to Cardiff in January. It’s an excellent opportunity for construction companies to find out more about the training and funding available, and to discuss how we can collectively address the skills gap.

“We’re also looking to engage more training providers in this important conversation, strengthening our network and creating a more robust future for everyone involved.”

The Skills and Training Conference Wales will be held at voco St. David’s Hotel, Cardiff on Thursday, 23 January 2025.

Want to attend?

For more information and to register

Click Here

FIS responds to review of the national curriculum and assessment England

by Iain McIlwee | 25 Nov, 2024 | Skills

FIS responds to review of the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England. The consultation was launched by the new Government to explore how the the curriculum can evolve to more appropriately balance ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people.

Specifically it was looking at how the educational system can provide::

an excellent foundation in core subjects of reading, writing and maths
a broader curriculum, with improved access to music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects
a curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work
a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring all children and young people are represented
an assessment system that captures:
- the strengths of every child and young person
- the breadth of the curriculum

In their response FIS raised concerns about the disjointed approach to qualification, the failure to embed a core understanding of careers and key vocational requirements within the existing curriculum.

The full FIS is response is available for members to review here. FIS Response Curriculum Change.

More details on the consultation are available here.

To find out more about FIS lobbying work click here

Two new training courses added to the FIS e-Learning Hub

by Iain McIlwee | 14 Nov, 2024 | Building Safety Act, Skills, Technical

Two new training courses have been added this week to the FIS e-Learning Hub. The courses aim to support members in managing individual competence associated with key package areas.

The first course is the Firestopping of service penetrations: Best Practice. The aim of this course is to assist in the design, specification and installation of building services penetrations to ensure fire compartmentation is maintained, five leading not-for-profit organisations have been involved in the development of the Guide on which this course is based. The aim of the course is to encourage early consideration of firestopping design in order to avoid problems at a later stage in construction. It is not an installation course but guidance to a good practice approach. The training is broken down to provide information on actions that should be carried out during each of the stages, one to seven, as defined in the RIBA Plan of Work.

The second course is a new interactive Pre-Construction Guide to Drylining. The course has been pulled together from decades of experience and focuses on the lead-up to commencing installation works. It highlights how to check bids and tenders for compliance, understand time requirements and site conditions, and ensure the design information is sufficient and fit for purpose.

Both courses are available freely to FIS members and CPD certificates will be issued on completion.

Speaking on the launch of these courses at the AGM on 7 November, FIS President Ian Strangward said:

“The bank of knowledge which FIS has built is impressive – we now need to make sure that we are not just a font of knowledge, but a modern information provider. It is not good enough to just have information available, we must work smarter to ensure it is used – getting to the right people in the right way. Our e-Learning Hub is going to be key. The first course we put up “an Introduction to the Building Safety Act” has been a great start, several hundred people have already completed the course and feedback has been very positive. In these next courses, “Firestopping of service penetrations: Best Practice” and particularly, our “Pre-construction guide to drylining” you will see progress in the quality of delivery. Now we have a process, you will be seeing a regular flow of new courses targeting vital interventions, job titles and knowledge gaps”

Click here for more information on how to register on these courses

CITB Skills and Training Conference heading to Wales

by Oscar Venus | 8 Nov, 2024 | Events, Skills

CITB is hosting its next Skills and Training Conference in Wales on 23 January.

Following the success of CITB’s Skills and Training Conferences in Manchester and Scotland in 2024, this one-day event in Cardiff is the latest step in a revitalised engagement programme for employers and training providers from CITB’s Customer Engagement team. CITB’s executive team will be there to meet employers, training providers and other industry stakeholders.

The conference will share key information and updates, discuss challenges, and outline how the construction industry can work towards narrowing the skills gap.

Construction companies and employers can find out more about hot topics like the Building Safety Act and Social Value, while receiving one-to-one support on accessing CITB funding and services, including the new Employer Network initiative.

Training providers, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to hear about the industry’s major opportunities and meet construction companies and industry trade federations.

Julia Stevens, Engagement Director Wales, CITB, said:

“We’re extremely excited to announce that the CITB Skills and Training Conference is heading to Cardiff in January. It’s an excellent opportunity for construction companies to find out more about the training and funding available, and to discuss how we can collectively address the skills gap.

“We’re also looking to engage more training providers in this important conversation, strengthening our network and creating a more robust future for everyone involved.”

The Skills and Training Conference Wales will be held at voco St. David’s Hotel, Cardiff on Thursday, 23 January 2025.

To book your place, visit https://skillswales.citbevents.co.uk/home

Skills Hub

The Skills Hub brings together details of courses specific to the finishes and interiors sector, making accessing and booking training quick and easy. In addition, it provides information on sector careers, apprenticeships and funding, as well as access to e-learning, CPD and other training.

Click Here