The winners of the annual Construction Development Alliance (CDA) Awards were revealed recently at Burnley Mechanics Theatre, during a ceremony hosted by television personality Dominic Littlewood.
Developed to support the future of the property and construction industry in the North West, the awards, sponsored by Sika Sarnafil, recognise the hard work, determination and growth of young people in the sector.
Bobby Bolton, 23-year-old construction manager at LendLease, was crowned Young Construction Professional and Overall Winner at the awards.
Sika Roofing has continued its support of the event this year and is looking to help drive the development of future construction workers.
Rod Benson, of Sika Roofing, said: “Our involvement ensures that the CDA can continue to maximise the potential of young professionals in a sector that is suffering a major skills shortfall. Encouraging people into the industry through offering apprenticeships will help to close the gap and ease the pressure on the existing workforce.”
A recent report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicts that thousands of new roles will be required to meet demand in the next five years.
Mr Benson added: “The lack of construction apprentices is something we are actively lobbying in Westminster in conjunction with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC). The awards are another positive way of tackling this issue.”
Commenting on his win, Mr Bolton said: “It was very proud moment to receive the awards on the back of a challenging job on Beacon Barracks. It has taught me how great it is to thank people for their hard work, something that I now do regularly during my day. The awards demonstrate that there are viable and progressive career opportunities available within the sector, something I’m really passionate about.”
The remaining category winners are as follows:
Pearl Cavaney – Young Designer (Burnley College)
Lucy Anderson – Young Construction Environmentalist (Sheffield Hallam University)
Franchesca Hurn – Young Construction Apprentice (M’s Touch Female decorators)
James Eastham – Overcoming Adversity (Eric Wright Construction)
Reid Lewis, speaking on behalf of the CDA North Manchester region, said: “It’s so important that we celebrate the exceptional young talent within the North West. We received triple the amount of nominations compared to last year from all sections of society, from colleges and industry and the standard of entry was extremely high, so we want to congratulate all of the winners and nominees.”
As part of the awards event attendees raised over £2,500 for a local Blackburn YMCA housing project, a charity close to the CDA’s heart as it supports the personal growth and development of vulnerable young people.
