We are delighted to announce our team of judges for the 2020/21 Master Fitter Challenge and brand new Rising Stars Challenge.
Our vastly experienced judging team from GQA Qualifications, the Fenestration Industry’s leading awarding body is joined by previous Master Fitter Challenge finalists Aaron Clegg and Dave Keates as live final judges.
Being head judge for the Master Fitter Challenge and the NEW Rising Stars Challenge is a real thrill for me, and I am look forward to working with my fellow judges and all the entrants to make this a great experience for all and a great reflection of the skills and commitment that typify the Fenestration Industry.
I have a great day to day role which keeps me really busy, I carry out quality audits on GQA approved training centres, provide advice and guidance on how to implement qualifications, and work on candidate's completed portfolios to ensure compliance to regulations before approving certificate requests.
I also play a role in training my colleagues at GQA on how to train others that they come into contact with at the centres they work with. I really enjoy doing this.
Martin
I am delighted to be a part of the judging team for the live finals of the 2020/21 Master Fitter Challenge and NEW Rising Stars Challenge. It was a moment of great pride when we won the 2019 final and I know how much it means to installers to be recognised for the work they do day in day out.
I am looking forward to bringing my own experiences to bear in determining the tasks for the final this time round, and to be there with the finalists to judge their skills.
Like Aaron, I am thrilled to have been asked to be a part of the live final judging panel. I know how important the Master Fitter Challenge is to installers, and I am as excited as anybody to see the launch of the NEW Rising Stars Challenge for those who have been installing for less than two years.
I am really looking forward to working with the rest of the judging team to make this event the best there has ever been, and to recognise the installers in our industry for their brilliant skills and dedication to what they do.
I am delighted once again to be playing a major part in managing and judging the Master Fitter Challenge. It is a great competition which allows installers to really showcase their skills and their commitment to the industry and I will really enjoy the interaction with them as we go through the process.
Like many others I started in the Fenestration Industry many years ago - nearly 40 in my case. In that time I have carried out many installations and have a very technical background. I use that knowledge and experience to help develop new qualifications, questions for knowledge tests and to support my colleagues when they need more detailed information. I am passionate about CPD and training programmes and look to deliver sessions whenever I can, as well as providing quality assurance and guidance to the GQA Approved Centre Network.
Andy
It is a great thrill for me to be a part of the judging team for the Master Fitter Challenge. I am really looking forward to talking to entrants to assess their knowledge and their skills, and to helping this latest event to be the best ever.
I only recently joined GQA Qualifications but was well aware of the work they do, having worked at two long established Approved Centres earlier in my career.
It is an extremely busy environment and my role includes reviewing new centre applications; ensuring that the centres comply with GQA policy and procedure, looking at how we can enhance the delivery methods of our qualifications, contributing to CPD events with new content and different ways to increase the amount of interaction with those attending, and finally to spend as much time with centre personnel ensuring they have the support and materials they need from us to enable them to deliver qualifications to the GQA standard.
Simon
Along with my colleague Shaun Bentley I am a relatively new recruit to GQA having joined in September 2019. I am delighted to have been asked to be a judge for the NEW Rising Stars Challenge.
For many years I have been involved in fabrication, survey and installation of windows and doors, and this practical hands on background in the industry has given me great knowledge and experience. I am a part of the team which is developing and managing practical training programmes for window and door installers and surveyors at the Building Our Skills Academy in Sheffield where people can receive hands on as well as theoretical training in all aspects of the industry, and this is really enjoyable.
Mark
Like my colleague Mark I am relatively new recruit to GQA having also joined in September 2019 and I am thrilled to be a part of the judging team for the NEW Rising Stars Challenge. It will be exciting, and really rewarding to see newcomers to the industry show just what they can do.
I have recently qualified to become a trainer myself so that I can then go into our approved centres and work with their staff and see how they deliver training. A big advantage for me is my practical background in the industry which gives me great knowledge of the Fenestration sector, and I am on hand to answer any technical questions which come into the office and to the wider team. I am enjoying getting fully up to speed with everything GQA and making a great contribution to the success of the business.
I am also a Building Our Skills Champion for GQA supporting the campaign efforts to ‘Make Fenestration a Career of Choice’ by trying to attract newcomers to the industry whilst upskilling those already working in it.
Shaun