TWO South Gloucestershire young plumbers have been named as finalists in a nationwide hunt to find the UK’s most diligent and enthusiastic apprentices.

Liam Fitzpatrick, 17, from Winterbourne, and Ben Farrow, 20, from Bromley Heath, are both part of a nine-strong team of apprentices at Redrow Homes which has been chosen to represent the South West in the national finals of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge.

To gain their place in the final, the Redrow group carried out 11 visits to schools and youth groups where they hosted talks and presentations about the benefit of apprenticeships.

They also volunteered at a young carers’ centre in Fishponds, Bristol, where they redesigned and rebuilt a garden for the young carers to relax and socialise in, and hosted a business event so they could talk to potential employers about offering apprenticeships.

The finalists have been chosen from among more than 650 apprentices across 75 organisations including leading apprentice employers, training providers and colleges.

Lee Hawker, managing director at Redrow South West, said: “It’s a great achievement for our team of nine Redrow South West apprentices to make the finals in June, which as a minimum puts them in the top 12 per cent of the 650 apprentices who participated.

“The 2017 Brathay Apprentice Challenge has been a fantastic way of highlighting all the great apprenticeship opportunities at Redrow.

“Our apprentices have done Redrow proud and we’re looking forward to the finals already. Congratulations to all the team and to the other eight teams who’ve made the final.”

Ben, 20, joined Redrow as a plumbing apprentice in August 2015 after leaving college, while Liam, 17, joined last year after completing his GCSEs.

Ben said: “It’s fantastic to be chosen as finalists as everyone on the team has worked so hard to get here.

“Apprenticeships are a great way for young people like me to get on the job ladder while also benefitting from professional training. Loads of the apprentices at Redrow go on to work their way up into permanent roles."

Liam added: “We’re all keen to spread the word about the benefits of apprenticeships and the Brathay Apprentice Challenge has been the perfect way to do that.

“We’ve all gained lots of new skills like presenting, teamwork and leadership and had a great time doing it. Now we’re focused on doing the best we can at the national finals.”

The national finalists will now continue awareness raising activities until early June, when they will be invited to Brathay Trust’s Windermere headquarters for the logistical and teambuilding finale.

The apprentice team of the year will be announced on Wednesday, June 14.

For more information on the Brathay Apprentice Challenge and to see a list of all teams entered visit the Brathay website.

Visit the Redrow website here to find out more about the careers and apprenticeships on offer.