Finlay Gallagher has construction machinery in his blood 鈥� his grandfather Pat Gallagher founded the eponymous 拢100m Kent construction company, which he started with a single backhoe loader more than 50 years ago to extract stone from his farm.
Gallagher Group today has a fleet of more than 300 machines and employs more than 500 people. Finlay鈥檚 dad Stephen Gallagher is a director and hopes Finlay will join the family business when he leaves school.
Finlay Gallagher took his Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) test on a JCB backhoe loader at Flynne Plant Training Centre in Rochford, Essex, and demonstrated a strong grasp of both the theory and practical aspects of operating the machinery.
Finlay said: 鈥淚鈥檝e loved diggers since I was really little 鈥� probably around three or four. My grandad Dave used to drive me around in his dozer, while he did the pedals and I sat on his lap. Then my grandad Pat got me interested in excavators and backhoe loaders, which started my love of JCBs.
鈥淚 definitely see my future in the construction industry. My grandad Pat started the Gallagher Group, and it would mean a lot to me to play a part in helping the business continue to grow. This qualification is a great first step, and I鈥檓 keen to build on it by learning to operate more types of plant machinery.
鈥淚 really enjoyed the training. I liked learning how to use the JCB 3CX Plus backhoe loader and understanding what was needed to pass the course.鈥�
Flynne Plant Training trainer Derek Mansfield said: 鈥淔inlay was one of the most enthusiastic and capable young candidates we鈥檝e had. His control of the machine and understanding of how it operates was far beyond what you鈥檇 expect at his age. He picked things up incredibly quickly and showed real natural ability. He鈥檚 now officially the youngest person in the UK to pass this qualification, which is a fantastic achievement. The Gallagher family should be very proud. We鈥檇 welcome Finlay back any time to train on more machines, and I genuinely look forward to seeing where his skills take him next.鈥�
Gallagher Group chairman Pat Gallagher said: 鈥淚 am exceptionally proud of Finlay and everything he has achieved. He has also showed an incredible passion and interest for machinery from an early age, and this course has given him a chance to deepen his knowledge and ability. I was blown away by how naturally he took to it. This really does give me great encouragement for the future. Hopefully, this inspires many other young people to give it a go and see the construction industry as a fantastic career opportunity.鈥�
Finlay Gallagher is not the first 13-year-old to get a CPCS card, however.聽聽Jamie Currie, from Cullen in northeast Scotland 鈥� son of Currie Contractors Cullen director James Currie 鈥� was also 13 when he passed the test in 2020.聽
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
