Lifetime of Training competition winner hopes to encourage young people into the trades
We have crowned a young entrepreneur from Kettering as the winner of our Lifetime of Training competition! Nineteen-year-old Josh Scott has won ten years’ worth of training, plus added extras such as a website and 12 months’ Checkatrade membership – everything he needs to become a success in the building services engineering (BSE) trades; an in-demand sector which includes plumbing, heating, electrics and renewables, such as heat pumps.
Josh was chosen thanks to his drive and commitment, demonstrated through a series of rounds, including a video and face to face interview. He impressed the judges – Logic4trainng’s owner, Kevin Budd and Director, Mark Krull – with his ambition and self-motivation. Josh had recently set-up his own tiling business (while still a teenager) and has been working for his Dad (Jay Scott) in fire and flood restoration.
Josh is clear about his goal to run his own company and also hopes to show the younger generation the rewarding, lucrative and future-proof career opportunities presented by the BSE sector.
Josh said: “I am so excited to have won. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call! My whole family is in the trades – Dad is a multi-skilled plumbing, heating and electrical technical manager for Belfor and my brother, Ryan is a trained gas installer.
“I started working on building sites after moving away from a career in the army. I went to military college straight after school, but Covid meant the course was paused and during that time I decided it wasn’t for me.
“After working with Dad for a bit I got the bug, took myself on a tiling course and then started up my own business. When I saw Logic4training’s competition on Instagram I knew I had to enter – it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m going to start with plumbing and heating, but I’m up for being multi-skilled like my Dad. I’d like to add electrics and heat pumps too.”
The prize has a total value of over £18k and starts with a new entrants’ programme, which culminates in a Level 2 Plumbing NVQ Diploma and Gas ACS (necessary to join the Gas Safe register). From there, Josh will receive £1000 of training vouchers a year for ten years*, which he can use for himself, or, if and when he becomes an employer, to upskill staff.
This career catapulting opportunity is about more than practical skill, however, and Josh will also receive a free website, Checkatrade membership, business training, covering areas like pricing jobs and winning work, and marketing support. Josh will be guided by Logic4training’s digital team to create content for social media so he can hit the ground running when it comes to self-promotion.
Josh added: “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity Logic4training has given me. I’m interested in learning how to make video content, what makes a good website and all the other bits that go with running a business today – not many people get this level of help and I plan to make the most of it.”
Kevin Budd, MD for Logic4training said: “We launched the competition in March with the idea of finding a building services star of the future – an ambassador for Logic4training and the industry at large. We were looking for someone passionate and enthusiastic with a can-do attitude. Someone we can follow throughout their career to showcase the fantastic opportunities the building services industry offers.
“I think we’ve found that in Josh! He’s a credit to his family; a real go getter. We will be following his journey through our own media platforms – our website, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok – and we hope he helps encourage the younger generation to consider a career in building services. There’s a massive skills shortage and an ageing workforce, we need people like Josh to move the industry forward.”
Josh’s Dad, Jay concluded: “We couldn’t be prouder of Josh, he has an old head on young shoulders and has got what it takes to do really well. I knew he was in with a good chance of winning when he showed me the competition. I encouraged him to go for it!
“As a multi-skilled engineer who’s trained with Logic4training throughout my career, I’m thrilled that Josh has got this opportunity. I’ve always been a big fan of Logic – the standards of training, their facilities and support are second to none. And, I’m a big believer in promoting building services to a younger crowd. It’s given me amazing opportunities and my other son, Ryan (a gas installer who also trained with Logic4training) owns his house at just 21. I’ve recently completed heat pump training and will keep upskilling as the industry evolves – it really is a job for life if you’ve got a willingness to learn and adapt.”
Josh will be starting his Level 2 Plumbing NVQ Diploma at Logic4training’s Northolt centre in June.
More about Josh:
Josh left school at 16 and joined the army for six-months before deciding it wasn’t for him. He looked for an apprenticeship but couldn’t find one that sparked his interest. Inspired by his dad, a technical manager, and his brother, a plumber, Josh gained valuable experience working as a technician for a fire and flood insurance company before taking the brave decision to set up his own business as a tiler. He completed a training course and invested in his own tools and van before finding work as a self-employed tiler using social media and word-of-mouth.
With experience in general site work, Josh now wants to train as a plumbing and heating engineer (to start with!). Josh sees the changes happening in the heating sector as an exciting business opportunity. Once he has gained a strong foundation in gas engineering, he would like to expand into heat pumps and possibly electrics.
Long-term, Josh has ambitions to grow a building contractor business and become an employer, while also exploring property development.
The competition
Logic4training will be providing Josh will a full package of support to help him build a successful career in plumbing and heating and realise his business goals, including:
- Domestic Gas Heating Installer New Entrants Platinum Package
- 12- months’ free Checkatrade membership
- Website design and build
- *£1,000 annually for 10 years to cover the cost of additional training, more than enough to keep mandatory gas ACS up to date or upskill into new areas such as air source heat pumps. Josh is also free to use this allowance to evolve his business by training up employees when the time comes.
Logic4training will also advise and support Josh in the other elements involved in building a successful career in the trades, things like marketing, accounts, paperwork and workforce management.
Josh’s journey will be documented every step of the way – watch this space to see how he gets on!