The Grand Finalists for the RTITB International Forklift Operator of the Year award have been announced following the live competition heats at IMHX. For the first time ever, female forklift operators have qualified for the Grand Finals of the competition, alongside the youngest competitor yet, 18- year old Thomas Birkbeck, an apprentice engineer for KP Snacks. It is also the first time an international competitor has reached the Grand Final, with India Forklift Operator of the Year winner Srinivasa N D, from Toyota Kirloskar, moving forward to the next stage.
Hundreds of the best forklift operators from around the world entered the competition, which is partnered by UniCarriers and McCue. Only 40 forklift drivers with the highest scores from the initial online test progressed to the next stage of the contest at IMHX. Ten operators each day competed in the live heats at the show, where they were required to complete four assessments – two practical tests (sponsored by DOLAV, Racking & Storage Solutions and Pyroban), a test of the forklift drivers’ knowledge (sponsored by Transaid), and successful completion of a pre-use inspection (sponsored by TruckLOG).
The top two drivers from each daily heat automatically qualified for the Grand Finals. At the end of the week, the competitors who achieved the next best scores but had not qualified from their heat, were also awarded a Grand Final place. The 12 Grand Finalists are:
• Adam Hayes, trained and employed by Travis Perkins
• Dale Smith, trained and employed by Wilko Retail Ltd
• Dariusz Mocny, trained and employed by Wincanton
• Emily White, trained and employed by System Training
• Kris Scarborough, trained and employed by Wilko Retail Ltd
• Kristian Sherratt, trained and employed by Travis Perkins
• Matthew Vassallo, trained and employed by Hasbro
• Richard Humpage, trained and employed by TJX Europe
• Samantha Tyson, trained and employed by PPG
• Simon Bottomley, trained by Manx Industrial Training Services and employed by Nasaleze
• Srinivasa Devappa, trained and employed by Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited
• Thomas Birkbeck, trained and employed by KP Snacks
“We usually only have 10 Grand Finalists, but with such a wealth of talent in the heats, this year there were 12 operators deserving of a place in the next stage of the competition,” says Laura Nelson, Managing Director of RTITB, the preferred workplace transport training regulatory body.
The Grand Final of the competition will take place on 22nd June 2017 at the Talent in Logistics Conference, held at RTITB headquarters in the West Midlands.
As well as the Grand Final, attendees at Talent in Logistics can also enjoy a range of free seminars covering essential lift truck and goods vehicle training subjects, as part of the event. In addition, there will be an information point which learning and development/HR professionals from the logistics industry can visit throughout the day for free guidance on training, compliance, the apprenticeship levy and more.
For more information on attending the Grand Final and the Talent in Logistics Conference and Awards, visit www.talentinlogistics.co.uk, where you can also enter the Talent in Logistics Awards.
RTITB
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