Following a record-breaking number of nominations for the Construction Plant-hire Association’s (CPA) Stars of the Future Awards 2025, the winners of the apprentice and trainee awards were announced at a jam-packed awards ceremony hosted at the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre near Coventry.
A total of 103 nominations were received for this year’s Stars of the Future Awards – the highest number of nominations since the awards programme was first introduced by the CPA back in 2013.
The highly regarded awards identify some of the industry’s most promising up-and-coming talent and its future leaders across various occupations including plant mechanics, plant technicians, hire controllers, plant installers, plant operatives and young plant operatives, as well as those who mentor the apprentices. A new awards category for 2025 was Technical Support Person of the Year.
This year’s nominations were judged across 21 regional and national categories by a total of 14 judges from the CPA and across the industry. The judges described the awards as the most highly contested year yet and collectively spent a phenomenal 1,500 hours judging the awards.
Over 350 people attended the awards ceremony, which was hosted by industry journalist, influencer and vlogger Peter Haddock. Peter’s son, Lucas Haddock, a content creator apprentice, also made a guest appearance on stage to present the Plant Operative and Young Plant Operative of the Year Awards.
National winners
National Plant Mechanic of the Year (Level 2) – Jack Lovesey, Liebherr-GB and NSCG College
National Plant Technician of the Year (Level 3) – Richard Nnadiri, Flannery Plant Hire and Reaseheath College
Hire Controller of the Year – Kiera Beaumont, Sunbelt Rentals
Young Plant Operative of the Year – Molly Gill, Flannery Plant Hire
Plant Operative of the Year – James Grant, Flannery Plant Hire
Plant Installer of the Year – Joel Munt, L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage
Technical Support Person of the Year – Charlie Jackson, Flannery Plant Hire
Individual Apprentice Mentor of the Year – Oliver Vickery, GAP Group
Group Apprentice Mentor of the Year – Paul Rawsterne, Watling JCB and Steve Mooney, Lowton Infrastructure Group (joint winners)
Best Personal Statement Award – Scott Kelly, Finning UK and Ireland and Finning Academy
Judges’ Special Award – Kate MacLeod, CalMax Construction
The CPA is the leading trade association for the construction plant sector in the UK, with almost 2,000 members. The awards ceremony was held in association with event sponsors Flannery Plant Hire, GAP Group and Sunbelt Rentals, and award sponsors and supporters ACOP Group, Ainscough Crane Hire, CITB, NOCN/CPCS, HTS Spares, JCB, Liebherr, L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, NPORS, Plant Planet, Southern Hoist Services and Wolffkran.
Stars of the Future was originally introduced to recognise outstanding apprentice plant mechanics and plant technicians, but the scope of the event has been expanded over the years to reward other occupations in the construction plant sector. It is now widely recognised as the sector’s premier event for recognising and rewarding trainees and apprentices who are earmarked as upcoming leaders of the industry.
CPA Chief Executive Officer Steve Mulholland said:
“It’s really pleasing to see that the future of our industry is in safe hands. This has been a tremendous celebration of the talent in the construction plant sector and we would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners. Testimony to the success of the awards is that many previous Stars of the Future award winners have gone on to secure senior positions in the construction plant industry, and we wish all of this year’s nominees every success in their careers moving forward.
We would like to thank all our sponsors, without whom we simply could not stage such an event or reward our winners so considerably. Award winners received some fabulous prizes, including tool kits, machine training courses, iPads, an overseas trip to visit a Liebherr crane manufacturing plant in Germany, another overseas trip to one of Wolffkran’s manufacturing facilities in Luckau, Germany, and a VIP day courtesy of JCB. Special thanks also go to each and every one of our 14 judges for the time they took in going through all the nominations so thoroughly in the toughest year yet.”
Stars of the Future had a two-tier judging process – the CPA selection panel and a panel of external judges who decided the eventual winners of each category. The external judging panel included Arran Willis (Liebherr-GB), Siôn Morgan Jones (ACOP Group), Kirsty Archbold-Laming (Southern Hoist Services), Leigh Sparrow (Vertikal Press), Graham Black (Earthmovers Magazine), Tim Brownbridge (BAM Nuttall), Rob Allen (Independent), Georgina Williams (JCB), Sean Scarah (Balfour Beatty), and Dean Watkin (G F Tomlinson).
One of the national Stars of the Future winners was Kate MacLeod who works for CalMax Construction. Only 16 years of age, Kate is already a talented plant operative. The judges were said to be very impressed with her maturity and capabilities way beyond her age. Kate – who got into the industry following work experience with CalMax Construction – lives and works on the Isle of Lewis but travels to the National Construction College East in Bircham Newton, Norfolk, for training.
