UK Plant Operator of the Year 2025: Championing the Industry.
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We reflect with pride on the recent UK Plant Operator of the Year competition, with finals day taking place on Saturday Sept 6th delivering a real festival of construction.
The campaign however is so much more than an Operator Challenge, so much more than a finals day. It’s a yearlong campaign carried by UK Plant Operators Magazine the home of UK Plant Operator of the Year.
The magazine, website and newsletter all strive to deliver a narrative that champions the industry, shining a light to attract more people to consider a career in construction. Whilst celebrating all that is good and positive.
Our partners at the CITB National Construction College have, for the third successive year, worked tirelessly to stage the event and in doing so they have demonstrated three key fundamentals:
1) A fascinating insight into Bircham Newton, one of the very best skills and training facilities in the UK.
2) The choice of courses and apprenticeships on offer, all of which match the needs of individuals and the industry.
3) The college is in a ‘real life’ setting, the perfect mix of the most modern construction equipment, fitted with the latest technology from the world’s leading manufacturers.
This year’s final resulted in a record number of 164 applications to enter the competition, a record prize pot of £20,000 and a record 2,000 people attending.
Congratulations to the winners, below. Please do check out the footage of the challenges across our social media pages.
We are proud to recognise the outstanding talent showcased at the recent UK Plant Operator of the Year Final 2025. The level of skill, precision, and professionalism on display at this year’s final was truly remarkable. We are delighted to celebrate the winners of each challenge category.
We congratulate the category Winners:
• Tipping Point: Sponsored by Thwaites Ltd – Kieron Gligorijevic
• Trench Box Transfer Sponsored by Steelwrist – James Covell
• The Straight and Narrow Sponsored by Takeuchi UK – James Penman
• Skip Tip Sponsored by L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage – Andrew Walker
• Reverse Engineering Sponsored by Flannery Plant Hire – Lewis Jarman
• Make the Grade Sponsored by XCMG UK – Owen Mitchell
• Lock n Load Sponsored by Collins Earthworks Limited – Bryan Williamson
• Grapple Grab Sponsored by MB Crusher – Lewis Cameron
• Backhoe Precision Showdown Sponsored by JCB – Tom Balls
• The Big Push Sponsored by Flannery Plant Hire – Ollie Old
Check out the top ten places in our news section of the website.
What a finale! This year we introduced an exciting new feature, the ‘Three Lane Thriller’ kindly sponsored by Flannery Plant Hire
Designed as the ultimate test of skill and precision, it was the perfect conclusion to the UK Plant Operator of the Year for 2025.
The top three operators identified from their aggregated scores form the challenges were-James Covell Director of Kings Lynn Construction, Liam Lambert Director of Liam Lambert Construction and Lewis Jarman of Breheny Civil Engineering all of whom went head-to-head across three challenging stages:
> Trench Digging
> Dumper Manoeuvring
> Mini Digger Control
With a mix of both speed and accuracy the Three Lane Thriller kept the crowd on edge until the very last moment.
Many congratulations to Liam Lambert, who rose to the challenge to claim the title and become champion plant operator for 2025.
A huge well done to James and Lewis for their outstanding performances.
An unforgettable day at CITB National Construction College, the 2025 campaign continues. UK Plant Operator of the Year will return in 2026.
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