The search is on and the stage is set, UK Plant operator’s magazine has just announced the launch of a brand new competition to find the very best plant operators in the UK. The campaign will be a celebration of skill, a unique insight into the role, the machines and the technology used to make the industry safer and smarter. With a £10,000.00 cash prize PLUS a Leica machine control system worth £30,000.00 up for grabs, UKPO are pulling out all the stops on their search for the UK’s best.
M O’Brien Plant Hire is very proud to be involved in this competition as a headline sponsor and hosting the final showdown challenges at our 125 Sand Quarry in Bedfordshire. Employing so many plant operators across the nation, our operators are important to us, it’s excellent that UK Plant operators magazine are providing this opportunity for them to showcase their skills to the wider industry.
Dan O’Brien said, “We are delighted to be able to stage the 2021 UK Plant Operator of 2021 final. The sand quarry will be the ideal setting. Safe and easy to access, the site is a well-known landmark and location for many a Hollywood blockbuster’s, as production companies look to film desert and rugged environment scenes. We have had everything from, ‘The Mummy’, to ‘The Crown’ filming here” so it should certainly lend itself as the arena for this year’s operator showdown.
The event will be the most expansive and inclusive operator challenge ever launched in the UK. There are no excavator brand restrictions, so whichever machine an owner owns, or an operator operates, they can enter the UK Operator of the year for 2021.
Whilst the skills gap shows signs of improvement, there is still much to do, Mr O’Brien commented further. “The awareness that the UK Plant Operator challenge brings, will deliver further validation for those that have recently entered the market and trained as an operator. In addition it will deliver a strong message that whilst other traditional sectors remain uncertain, construction can offer opportunities to both academic and the more practically minded. This is a busy thriving industry that is a lot different than often perceived. It has become safer, cleaner, and more technically enabling, offering a lifetime of employment, enjoyment, and satisfaction”.
Mr O’Brien concluded, “The 2021 UK Plant Operator of the year gives a real opportunity for the operator community to show off their skills, show what they can do and what they have learned. Bragging rights if you will, there is a real sense of community across this group, we look forward to watching the competition roll out through the year and welcoming the finalist to the O’Brien quarry, in October, for the final of the UK Plant Magazine Operator of 2021”
How to enter
Launching in February 2021, operators are invited to record a short video (2 minutes max) demonstrating their operating skills. Once complete, upload the video to your own YouTube channel. Complete the simple entry form, here.
UKPO readers and subscribers will then be asked to vote for their favourite video, then after validation four monthly qualifiers will be announced to advance to the next round of challenges.