Eight aspiring apprentice decorators will soon be going head-to-head in the final of this year’s national Crown Paints Apprentice Decorator of the Year competition held during the WorldSkills UK LIVE event in Birmingham.

The competitors first took part in a day-long decorating challenge at one of 12 regional heats this summer where their work was judged by the competition’s pane.

The judges for the competition include Kevin O’Donnell, Crown Paints’ training manager and Ben Deer, a former Crown Paints Apprentice Decorator of the Year.

Entrants were scored on a range of criteria including attention to detail, accuracy and finesse and the ability to maintain a tidy working area.

During the final, each apprentice will be given 18 hours in total over the three days to complete a challenges.

The 2018 finalists are:
• Aiden Dearie - City Building Glasgow
• Ayesha Gyimah - East Kent College
• Bridie Kilby - Leicester College
• Cain Craggs - New College Durham
• Danny Lansdown - Construction Training Specialists
• Lisa Murphy - City Building Glasgow
• Thomas Nowell - Truro and Penwith College
• Zoe Evans - Coleg Sir Gâr

The final is held as part of the SkillBuild event, organised by CITB as part of WorldSkills UK LIVE, at Birmingham’s NEC over three days from 15th to 17th November