Youngest competitor is an apprentice of the National Construction College

NCC apprentice Josh Burnett, 17, will be the youngest of 60 entrants competing for the title 'UK Plant Operator of the Year', to be judged on 6 September.

Josh, who recently completed his SQA Level 2 Diploma in Plant Operations Apprenticeship at the National Construction College in Norfolk, now works full time as Plant Operator at Corrigan Contractors Ltd on the West Coast of Scotland.

Rachel Corrigan described how Josh had approached her company: "He applied for work experience at just 15 years old, proudly stating he already had eight years of experience! His enthusiasm was unmistakable, and when he told us that plant and machinery were his biggest passion in life we knew we had to create an opportunity for him.”

Recalling how he kicked off his career, Josh said, “When I was younger, I had the opportunity to have a go on a digger and loved it. After that I would try get on them every chance I got, so it made sense to do an apprenticeship.”

We asked Josh why he chose NCC:

“I chose NCC because there are so many opportunities to learn on different kinds of plant machinery. The instructors are great too!"

What about his time at NCC and the apprenticeship itself?

“Since I was from Scotland, I had to stay the weekend, and the welfare team always offered activities off-site. They helped with any problems I had, and the accommodation was great, so I soon settled in.”

“You meet so many people along the way, every day’s a learning day. I had bad days and good days, and it’s a long process. My advice is you just have to push for the apprenticeship you want and stick at it, no matter what. It will pay off in the end – and it’s the benchmark for a great career.

The toughest part was the tests, but the instructors explained it so well I passed first time at everything.”

Now that he’s involved in building and civil engineering projects full time, we asked Josh to describe life at Corrigan:

“A normal day is varied,” he said, “operating different bits of plant from diggers to dumper tractors. One day I’m doing grading, the next day I could be driving a dumper – it’s always a surprise. Since I joined Corrigan I’ve also got involved with Engcon tiltrotaters, which is great!

What made him decide to enter UK Plant Operator of the Year?

Josh told us, “The instructors said they were impressed with my skills on a digger and tiltrotater, so I thought I would go for it. It’s been a dream of mine for a while – and now it’s happening.”

And everyone at Corrigan has their fingers crossed. Rachel describes why she’s rooting for Josh:

“He has consistently shown himself to be highly capable, motivated, and eager to learn. Everyone at Corrigan Contractors wishes him the very best of luck in the final of the 2025 UK Plant Operator of the Year."