The Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition is now well established within the flooring industry and highlights the hard work and achievements of flooring apprentices across the UK. It is made possible through the generosity of the sponsors, who are able to show that they value apprenticeships and believe in the importance of training within the industry.
The CFA are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2025 Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition, is Daniel Mee from Hillside Contracts Ltd, Leicester. Judging the competition this year were three seasoned CFA Council Members, Alan Gayle (AG Flooring Ltd), Matthew Brown (Uzin Utz Uk) and David Brady (RJM Flooring Ltd) all of whom are experts in their field and committed to supporting the CFA and the competition.
The judges noted that Daniel's entry was comprehensive, displaying all expected apprentice competencies, including thorough site setup, meticulous preparation work, correct PPE usage, and execution of diverse flooring tasks and procedures. His range of photos and videos supported his entry and he received great marks on all questions asked regarding floorlaying activities as part of the entry. He also received great praise from his tutor and employer, Daniel spent time throughout his teens helping his uncle, who is also a floorlayer and discovered how much he enjoyed the work before joining his employer Hillside Contracts Ltd. Daniel stated it is a profession he finds fun, rewarding, and something he is genuinely passionate about.
The CFA have proudly organised and delivered the Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition for many years and have always been delighted with the large levels of engagement from employers, apprentices, training providers and sponsors. The competition is now a fixed feature within the flooring industry calendar taking pride of place alongside other awards at the annual CFJ Awards and highlights the dedication and achievements of flooring apprentices across the UK. The very nature of the competition provides a platform for apprentices to highlight the skills that they have learnt during their apprenticeship and for the companies that employ the apprentices to get involved, it shows their commitment to training their workforce and their investment in the next generation of flooring installers.
When it came to organising the competition for 2025, we wanted to increase the engagement with industry and wider stakeholders even further and contacted sponsors to not only show their support for the winner but also for those apprentices that provided a great entry to the competition but did not quite reach the top spot, and what a response we had! This year not only was the winner presented with a prize pool of a value in excess of £10,000 but sponsors kindly donated to a 2nd and 3rd place prize pool too.
We were also eager to grow the prize giving event too, which has traditionally been held at FITA, so when the InstallerSHOW and CFA collaborated on bringing the flooring sector to the largest installer-based trade show in the UK with over 30,000 visitors and 800+ exhibitors, the InstallerFUTURES stand at the show seemed like a perfect fit. On the 24th June at the InstallerSHOW where CFA President Alan McEwan announced Daniel as our winner in front of a live audience. Alan also announce that Sam Shetliffe (Capitol Carpets and Blinds) took 2nd place and Greg Scott (Veitchi Flooring) took 3rd, both runners up receiving their own set of prizes too.
Once the dust had settled and Daniel was over his initial shock and being named the winner, we asked him for his thoughts on winning the competition;
"I am over the moon to have won the CFA Apprentice of the Year 2025. It is a massive honour and it still has not fully sunk in. It feels incredible to have all my hard work, commitment, and learning recognised like this. I have put everything into my apprenticeship, so to come away with this kind of recognition means more than I can put into words. I just want to thank my uncle James for introducing me to the trade. I also want to thank everyone at Hillside Contracts Ltd for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow as part of a great team. And a massive thanks to Josh and Paul Appleby for the time, patience, and knowledge they have shared with me. I have learned so much from everyone. Winning this award has given me even more motivation to keep pushing forward. It is a proud moment and just the start of what I hope will be a long career in the industry."
Each year the Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition is sponsored and supported by more than 20 of the flooring sector's leading manufacturers, generously donating prizes. The prize list for the winner this year was bigger than ever and included a specialist flooring tool kit comprising of named workwear, tool bags, a range of hand and power tools, adhesives and sub floor preparation products, moisture measuring equipment and a range of accessories such as personal protective equipment. The prize list includes £1000 in cash, product vouchers worth £1750 and online shopping vouchers worth £1250. Finally, Daniel has won two free training courses to further his knowledge, skills and expertise with the whole prize list worth over a staggering £10,000!
Daniel's employers are no strangers to recruiting and training top quality apprentices, Jo Singer, Director at Hillside Contracts Ltd said;
"Hillside Contracts Ltd are delighted that Daniel has been awarded Apprentice of the Year 2025. We are extremely proud of Daniels's efforts and determination he has shown to win this award"
Daniel completed the formal training element of his apprenticeship with Webs Training Ltd and Flooring Industry Training Association (FITA) attending the FITA Training centre in Loughborough for his off the job training. Helen Davies, Flooring Training Coordinator at Webs Training Ltd had the following to say;
"Daniel put so much effort into his apprenticeship, he was determined to have the best portfolio and provided the very best evidence that he possibly could. His practical skills developed quickly due to the effort and energy he put into every FITA session and his interaction with the fitters on site. The result was that Daniel was ready for his end point assessment earlier than planned and he sailed through it with a very respectable distinction."
What is next for Daniel? In September he will be presented with a special award at the CFJ Awards and praised by industry once again for his fantastic achievement. If you are attending the awards make sure to congratulate Daniel, Sam and Greg on their achievements!
Shaun Wadsworth
CFA Training Manager - shaun@cfa.org.uk
Our thanks go to all our sponsors for their continued support of the competition and for again generously donating the many prizes. Our sponsors are:
The CFA were delighted to announce that the winner of the 2024 Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition, was Kyle Maxwell from MacGregor Flooring Company Ltd in Hamilton, Scotland. Judging the competition this year were three CFA Council Members, Alan Gayle (AG Flooring Ltd), Matthew Brown (Uzin Utz Uk) and David Brady (RJM Flooring Ltd) all of whom were blown away by Kyle's entry and scored him highly in all aspects of his submission. Alongside his excellent answers to the application questions, Kyle provided a fantastic case study based on four different sites Kyle had worked on including a commercial flooring project, a detailed subfloor preparation project, a commercial staircase installation and a domestic LVT herringbone installation all on behalf of his employer coverings a wide range of flooring types. Kyle supplies the judges with video footage of the skills learnt through training in practice from multiple job sites. His application was also backed with great recommendations from both his employer and his tutor that led the judges to their unanimous decision that Kyle was a more than worthy winner.
The winner of the 2023 Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition was Mike Waldron from Hillside Contracts Ltd, Leicester. 2023 saw more completed entries for the three judges to look over than any previous year, received from all corners of the UK. The outstanding submission from Mike though made it clear to the judges that his entry set him apart from the competition. Alongside excellent answers to the application questions, Mike also provided a fantastic case study based on a 4,400 square metre commercial flooring project he worked on for his employer coverings a wide range of flooring types. Mike also supplies the judges with an in-depth video highlighting his learnt skills in practice and included a voiceover of how he became to be a floorlayer and his ambition to help others do the same by becoming a Go Construct STEM Ambassador for Flooring and supporting the CFA Future Fitters campaign. The application was also backed with great recommendations from both his employer and his tutor that led the judges to their unanimous decision that Mike was a more than worthy winner.
The winner of the 2022 competition was George Carter from Rudge Brothers & James Ltd, Bristol. A selection of fantastic entries were received from all over the UK, but it was clear to the three judges that George's outstanding entry in particular set him apart from the competition. George's excellent application included a fantastic case study along with a wide range of photo and video evidence of George in action. The application was also backed with great recommendations from both his employer and his tutor that led the judges to their unanimous decision that George was a more than worthy winner.
The winner of the 2021 competition was Jack Gray from Veitchi Flooring in Glasgow, Scotland. The competition produced several high-quality entries from apprentices all over the UK, but it was Jack's excellent application along with superb recommendations from both his employer and his tutor that lead the judges to their decision. Jack was able to provide a wealth of photos and experiences in the form of a case study which the judges were firmly impressed with and came to a unanimous decision that Jack was the worthy winner. Jack was presented with his award and prizes at the Veitchi Flooring Trade School in Glasgow
The winner of the 2020 competition was David McGrath from MacGregor Flooring Company Ltd in Hamilton, Scotland. David put together a very strong application with excellent recommendations from both his employer and his tutor. David was able to provide a wealth of photos and experiences in the form of a case study which the judges were firmly impressed with and came to a unanimous decision that David was the worthy winner.
Tom Havard from Dezire Flooring in South Wales was presented with the Award at a prize giving on 8 May 2019 at the newly refurbished FITA Training Centre in Loughborough. Shaun Wadsworth, CFA Training Manager welcomed the guests who included Tom's father and employer, his college tutor and many of the competition's sponsors, in addition to CFJ and CFA.
Tom received prizes worth over £4000 in addition to the title of Flooring Apprentice of the Year for winning the competition. His specialist flooring tool kit comprised of named workwear, training courses, tool bags, a range of hand and power tools, adhesives and sub floor preparation products, electronic measuring equipment and a range of accessories including personal protective equipment. The prize also included cheques to the value of £1000, an Amazon Echo and high street vouchers. The photographs taken on the day can be viewed in the gallery here.
Jordan Gayle from A G Flooring Ltd in Manchester was announced winner at an award ceremony on 9 May 2018 at the FITA Training Centre in Loughborough. Jordan's father, his work mentor and college tutor were all on hand to see him receive his prizes in front of flooring industry representatives and sponsors of the award.
In addition to the title of Flooring Apprentice of The Year, Jordan won £1000, a fabulous specialist flooring tool kit (which included named workwear, training courses, tool bags, a range of hand and power tools, adhesives, sub floor preparation products, electronic measuring equipment and accessories) and gift vouchers and cheques to the value of £1650. The photographs taken on the day can be viewed in the gallery here.
The 2017 winner of the CFA/CFJ Apprentice of the Year competition was Alistair Craig of Lynas Carpets in Hamilton.
The prize giving of the specialist tool kit took place on the 3rd of May at the FITA Training Centre in Loughborough. Alistair received prizes generously donated by the competitions many sponsors and included Adhesives, Cash Prizes, Electronic Measuring Equipment, Finishing Products, Flooring Accessories, Hand Tools, Power Tools, Subfloor Preparation Products, Training Courses, Vouchers and Work Wear.
The 2016 winner of the CFA/CFJ Apprentice of the Year competition was Calum Gillies of Islay Flooring and Home Furniture, Isle of Islay.
The prize giving took place on 5 May at the FITA Training Centre in Loughborough. Calum was presented with the Award, £500 kindly donated by CITB and officially presented by Paul Gaze of CITB.
Calum also received prizes generously donated by the competitions many sponsors and included Adhesives, Cash Prizes, Electronic Measuring Equipment, Finishing Products, Flooring Accessories, Hand Tools, Power Tools, Subfloor Preparation Products, Training Courses, Vouchers and Work Wear.
Lewis Hoe, of Floorserve Ltd, Doncaster, was the CFA/CFJ Apprentice of the Year 2015. In its third year, the Award recognised the achievements of apprentices and aims to encourage more young people to join the flooring industry.
The award presentation took place at the annual CFJ/CFA Awards luncheon - hosted at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and was attended by over 50 leading industry figures.
Alongside the prestigious award, Lewis was presented with a cheque for £500 from the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board); a specialist, professional toolkit and a FITA training course of the winner's choice (including overnight accommodation). The award and cheque were presented by CITB Chief Executive, Adrian Belton, who was the keynote speaker at the event. Lewis then received his specialist tool kit at the FITA Training Centre.
Jakub Arciuszkiewicz, of Hyde Flooring Co Ltd in Preston, was the proud winner of the CFA/CFJ Apprentice of the Year 2014 Award.
Alongside the prestigious Award, Jakub was presented with a cheque for £500 from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), a specialist professional toolkit, a FITA training course of the winner's choice (including overnight accommodation) and an invitation to the CFJ Awards Lunch.
The presentation of the Award and £500 took place during the annual CFJ/CFA Awards lunch, which was held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and attended by over 50 leading industry figures. The presentation of the toolkit took place at the FITA Training Centre on 7 May.
The 2013 CFA/CFJ Flooring Industry Awards included a new category – Apprentice of the Year – which was won by Jamie Daniel, from J Daniel Carpet & Flooring Ltd.
Along with the prestigious accolade, Jamie received a specialist professional toolkit, with tools donated by Bosch, Bostik, CITB, F Ball, Floorwise, Interfloor, Janser, Kährs, Personna, Snickers Workwear, Spotnails, Sweeney Todd Blades, T&R Floor Covering Distributors Ltd and Uzin. Jamie also received a £500 cash prize donated by CITB and a complementary training course at FITA.
