A student from the Bournemouth & Poole College will be among those battling it out for the title of Johnstone's Trade Young Painter of the Year at Coventry's Ricoh Arena later this year, after emerging victorious from the second of two regional heats which took place at the college this month.
Ben Squibb won the heat on June 9th and will represent the Southern region at the national final, which will take place over two days at the National Painting and Decorating Show from November 29th-30th. Daniel Knight finished as runner-up.
Ben also recently won the SkillBuild 2016 regional heat in Chichester and will find out next month whether he will progress to the national final in that competition.
He is also in the top three from the Northern and Southern heats of the Painting and Decorating Association's Premier Trophy Awards, along with fellow Bournemouth & Poole College student Phillip Maidment. Both will find out how they have fared at the PDA's awards ceremony on July 7th.
"After hosting the two Southern heats at the Bournemouth & Poole College, we have been very pleased with the effort all competitors put in and the work they produced," said Scott Oliver, Lecturer in Painting and Decorating at the Bournemouth & Poole College.
"Good luck to the two winners from our heats in the final, especially Ben Squibb from the Bournemouth & Poole College. I look forward to travelling to Coventry to see all the competitors," he added.
Young Painter of the Year sees contestants put through their paces across a range of painting and decorating tasks, such as applying stencils, abiding by technical specifications and making the most effective use of various Johnstone's Trade paints. All those taking part in the competition are working towards an NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Painting and Decorating, or Construction.
Students taking one of the range of painting and decorating courses at the Bournemouth & Poole College enjoy the benefits of purpose-built facilities and a team of experienced expert tutors, as well as the college's close connections with a wide variety of local employers.
An earlier regional heat took place at the Bournemouth & Poole College on May 25th. The winners of both heats each received a £100 cash prize and the runners-up £30, while all competitors went away with a goody bag courtesy of specialist paint brush brand Fat Hog.
