A plumbing apprentice from Newcastle College is celebrating this National Apprenticeship Week, after reaching the finals of the HIP Magazine Learner of the Year Competition.
HIP Magazine is an industry publication aimed at apprentices in Heating and Plumbing. The HIP Learner of the Year Competition sees industry experts traveling to six regions across the UK in search of the best upcoming talent within the industry.
The six regional winners, including 19-year-old Theo Dobinson, now in the second year of his Level 3 apprenticeship in Plumbing and Domestic Heating, will be heading to the national final in April.
Theo, who is completing his apprenticeship with First Call Heating, said he enjoyed the challenge of the competition. He commented: “It was a good opportunity to test what I can actually do and to see how much I’ve learned. I was really surprised when my name was called out, but it felt good.”
Someone who wasn’t surprised was Theo’s tutor, Michael Reilly, who said: “Theo has demonstrated that he is very skillful, not just during his assignments, but in all his work with his employer First Call Heating as well. It was an easy choice for me to enter him into this competition, and I knew he’d do well.”
“Winning competitions like these can go on your CV and it's there for life, so if, for instance, you’re going for a job and there are a lot of people with the same qualifications, this will help you to stand out.”
Being able to develop practical skills on the job and in competitions is just one benefit of doing an apprenticeship, where 80% of the time is spent being trained by an employer.
Find out more about plumbing courses and apprenticeships at Newcastle College
Watch this video from Theo’s heat and hear from him directly about what it was like to compete.