Crystal’s clear plan for success
» AN apprentice painter and decorator from Gloucestershire will go head-tohead with nine other trade trainees at the finals of the Screwfix Trade Apprentice awards at the end of this month.
They will be competing for a £10,000 prize of training, tools and technology.
Gloucestershire’s star apprentice is Crystal Tucker, 23, an aspiring decorator from Kingswood near Stroud. She has been learning her trade at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College but will now have to put her skills to the test in front of a panel of industry judges.
Crystal was shortlisted by judges for her passion to help people achieve their dream homes, as well as her ambition as a painter and decorator. The 23-year-old will have to showcase this, as well as her trade skills, in order to impress the judges in this two-day virtual competition, which finishes today, Thursday.
Crystal thinks she could go all the way to the top spot and hopes to stand out with her customer service skills, which helped her in the semi-finals.
She said: “When I entered the competition, I really hoped I’d get to the final, but I can’t believe I have done it! Knowing that I am in the final and one step closer to starting my own business is mind-blowing and I am so determined to do whatever it takes to win this competition.
“I’ve been studying my painting and decorating trade for a year at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. To get the recognition and be crowned the champion of Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2022 would be unreal on both a personal and a professional level”.
During the final, the apprentices will get the opportunity to share their expertise and ambitions with a panel of industry-leading judges.
Jack Wallace a director at Screwfix, said: “Our applicants have shown a huge level of skill, ambition, and determination to succeed no matter what life throws at them. This year we have been overwhelmed by the standard of entries across the UK and Ireland - it’s clear to see that the future of the industry is in safe hands”.