Jackson Gill from New College Durham has been officially crowned HIP Learner of the Year 2025, impressing the judges with his precision, technical expertise, and attention to detail in tasks such as pipe bending, soldering, accurate measuring, and working from a technical drawing. Dexter Pude from Ignite Training secured the runner-up title.
Expressing his excitement and gratitude, Jackson said: “I wasn’t expecting it at all. I just want to thank the sponsors for supporting this event because I couldn’t have done it without them.”
The final took place at the Stafford headquarters of competition’s headline sponsor OB1, following a series of intense nationwide heats held earlier this year. Jackson and Dexter competed for the top prizes with five other talented finalists over a rigorous two-day practical contest. Other sponsors included Plumb Centre, Milwaukee, Viessmann, Aalberts IPS, Corgi Services, EAL, Kingspan, Mark Vitow Ltd, Stelrad, Triton Showers, Watersafe, Wilo, Fix Radio, Snickers Workwear, Talon, The Worshipful Company of Plumbers, Yorkshire Copper Tube and the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE).
Zoë Tanner, MD at HIP, expressed her pride in this year’s competition: “This year’s final has been a true showcase of hands-on talent and technical excellence. Each competitor demonstrated outstanding skill, precision, and professionalism under real-life scenarios. The quality of work has been exceptional, setting a high benchmark for future competitions and showing just how bright the future of plumbing really is.”
HIP Learner of the Year competition has been celebrating emerging talent within the UK plumbing sector for over a decade and many past competitors have gone on to achieve further success in other competitions and in their careers.
To see highlights from the competition, and celebrate the success of this year’s talented finalists, follow on Instagram using the hashtag #HIPLOY25.
