Competition glory for plumber Paul

Paul Hopper, 23, from Swanscombe, impressed the judges at the South of England heat of SkillPlumb and could now move onto the national final in Birmingham later this year.

He received £150, a set of levels, a cordless drill and a bag of plumbing sundries for his victory, which took place at Bridgwater College in Somerset.

“It feels good to have won because these types of competitions are usually pretty stressful,” said Paul, who spent just under five hours tackling his plumbing installation task.

“I was confident in my work but it was still a nice surprise when the judges told me I’d won. It’s a good motivation boost and I think I’ll treat myself to a new pair of trainers now.

“I’d like to thank the lecturers at MidKent College who entered me into the competition and for supporting me through my studies.”

Paul has more than five years’ experience as a plumbing and heating engineer and works for Tolley & Littlewood Ltd in Dartford.

Last February he was recognised as being among the best craftsmen in the country when he was honoured as part of the prestigious Apprentice, Journeyman and Master Certificate Scheme.

The SkillPlumb competition Paul won on Wednesday, 16 May, was run by SummitSkills – the sector skills council for building services engineering.

“Paul completed a first class installation, as we have come to expect from him,” said Stuart Nice, head of Construction & Building Services at MidKent College’s Medway Campus.

“Congratulations to him and all the staff who supported his presentation. It’s a great result for both the College and Paul, who has an exciting career ahead of him.”

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For all media enquiries, please contact Steve Knight, Marketing and Communications Officer, on 01634 383277 or email steve.knight@midkent.ac.uk.