Dulux Launches Hunt for Prize Apprentice
Dulux Decorator Centres has launched its Apprentice of the Year 2011 competition and is appealing to painters and decorators to spread the word and encourage apprentices to get involved.
Now in its fourth year, the established competition aims to showcase the work of the painters and decorators of the future, reward talent and also highlight painting and decorating as a worthwhile and self sufficient career.
The 2010 competition saw the largest uptake of students entering to date, but Dulux Decorator Centres wants to make the 2011 competition bigger and better. The aim is to get more colleges across the UK entering their most talented students, as this not only provides the students with the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes and make a name for themselves, but also raises the profile of both their college and employer.
Francesco Sharp, from Leeds College of Building, was the 2010 winner after competing against eight other apprentices from around the UK. Along with the accolade of being named Apprentice of the Year, Francesco won a £1,000 cash prize, and a host of fantastic products to set him up in the industry, while Leeds College of Building also won a raft of prizes which will benefit future painting and decorating apprentices.
Beverley Whitehead, marketing and communications manager at Dulux Decorator Centres, said: “The Apprentice of the Year competition is now in its fourth year and has become an established fixture in the diaries of many colleges and lecturers. We now want to encourage those colleges which have not entered students before to put their talented youngsters forward to compete against the best budding stars in the industry.
“We are always overwhelmed by the high standard of talent that these youngsters have and their determination to succeed and what better way than to help them get a foot on the career ladder.”
The Apprentice of the Year 2011 competition is open to all apprentices currently studying NVQ level two and three, and provides a challenging, but fun and practical competition. Each student selected to go through to the competition will enter a regional heat which will be held at:
Leeds College of Building - 15th March
Accrington & Rossendale College - 17th March
Somerset College - 22nd March
Ystrad Mynach College - 24th March
Chelmsford College - 5th April
Walsall College - 7th April
New College Durham - 13th April
Edinburgh Telford College - 28th April
Slough Training Centre - 5th May
Each student will be asked to complete a series of practical applications, comprising various elements of painting and decorating, covering wallpapering, stencilling, waterborne glosses, and special effects. The students who make it through the heats, will then go through to the final, which will take place in June 2011, where the overall winner will be given the coveted title of Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice of the Year 2011 at an awards presentation. The winner will receive £1,000 cash, and a variety of other prizes, which will benefit them in their trade.
There will also be runners up prizes of £500 and £250 plus £100 worth of Dulux Decorator Centres vouchers each for those finishing in overall second and third place. Individual regional heat winners will win £100 each, a certificate and a Dulux Decorator Centre goody bag packed full of fantastic products donated by Dulux Decorator Centre’s suppliers.
Those interested in entering the Apprentice of the Year 2011 competition should visit http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk or email ddc.helpdesk@akzonobel.com or call 0161 968 3000.
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Notes to editors:
Part of AkzoNobel, Dulux Decorator Centres has almost 200 centres across the UK, supplying a full range of decorating products and service needs. Dulux Decorator Centres is now the UK’s leading decorating specialist, offering a wide product range and unrivalled product and sector knowledge.