Interfloor was proud to support the final of the Apprentice of the Year 2014 competition which was held at the National Flooring Show at Harrogate in September.
Accrington & Rossendale (Accross) College competed against Coleg Cambria to showcase the standard of training that is offered on their two year apprenticeships at both colleges respectively, as well as crowning the winner of the skills competition the “Apprentice of the Year 2014.
The event was a huge success which attracted lots of attention including the recognition of the need to train the fitters of the future through apprenticeships. There were plenty of new apprenticeship enquiries and the support from existing manufacturers, including Interfloor, was strengthened.
The two finalists have just completed their two year apprenticeships. Darren Simpson of Active Flooring represented Accross College and Dean Davies of Wilmac Flooring represented Coleg Cambria. Over the 3 day event the days were broken down into sections to test a wide range of installation skills with a variety of floors.
On the final day, their task was to prepare the flat area and winding staircase using Interfloor’s underlays, Tredaire Softwalk and Duralay Treadmore, and Stikatak accessories, before stretch fitting a Cormar carpet using the correct method and techniques.
Congratulations to the winner, Dean Davies, and also to Darren Simpson, the runner-up, and everyone else who has participated in the competition.
Accross tutor Tim Green said “We expected the competition to be a success but it exceeded our expectations by far. The amount of enquiries and support we had was unbelievable. There are only four colleges in the UK that deliver such courses and apprenticeships. We tend to struggle to market ourselves but this was well worth doing and long may it continue as we hope to hold it again next year with the possibility of growing it. I would like to thank Interfloor for their valuable support.”
Steve Woodhead, Interfloor marketing director, added, “We have been providing support for the training of flooring apprentices around the UK for a number of years. Developing the skills of the fitters of tomorrow is important for everyone involved in the UK flooring industry. We are delighted to support this important competition.”
