Kyle Cooper – a Forth Valley College Painting and Decorating Modern Apprentice – turned in a glossy performance at a recent national competition.
Kyle (19) from Auchterarder, who works for Gleneagles Hotel and spends one day a week studying at Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus, finished a close second (out of eight) at the Johnstone’s (Trade) Young Painter of the Year event at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry (28 & 29 November) – with the two-day competition forming part of the National Paint show.
He qualified for the final after brushing around 30 other young hopefuls aside as he won the Scottish heat of the Johnstone’s (Trade) Young Painter of the Year competition, which was held in City Building in Glasgow on 22 March.
At the final he was beaten into the runner-up slot by Lisa Murphy from Queenslie training centre Glasgow, who he had beaten in the Scottish heat. Kyle won around £2000 worth of prizes for claiming second place, including a trip to France on a trading venture from Toupret Fillers.
FVC Construction Lecturer, Graeme Williamson, said: "Kyle has had an amazing journey with this competition. He has put a lot of work into preparing for it, and my colleague Kevin Bonner, myself and everyone in the department is very proud of him. He was very close to winning it. I hope he can build on this amazing achievement."
