Kildare's Kellie makes apprentice shortlist
Kellie Cullen (19) from Caragh who has beaten 3,000 competitors to make the semi-final of the Screwfix Apprentice of the Year competition,
KILDARE's Kellie Cullen has qualified for the semi-finals of Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2026 competition.
Caragh native Kellie (19) is training to be an electrician, and is now in line to win a €10k trade bundle of tools, training and tech.
She has been named as a semi-finalist in this year’s competition, and has already beaten more than 3,000 applicants across the UK and Ireland to secure a place in the semi-final.
Kellie is now in with a chance of claiming the coveted title and taking home an impressive €10,000 trade bundle made up of tools, tech and training.
Kellie is currently training to be an electrician, and the semi-final stage will see 37 aspiring apprentices face an interview to hopefully secure their place in the final, which will take place at Google HQ, in London in April.
A delighted Kellie said: “To have been selected from a record number of applications is a huge achievement for me, and I’m excited at the prospect of representing Kildare on an international stage.
“As a 19-year-old apprentice electrician in Ireland, I love that every day on site is hands-on and different.
“Learning a practical skill that will stay with me for life is really rewarding and such a safety net. I hope that my commitment to the trade will be recognised by the judges and I will do everything I can to try and make it to the final.”
“As a retailer to the trade, we are committed to championing tradespeople across the UK and Ireland,” said Jack Wallace, Marketing Director at Screwfix.
“The 12th annual Trade Apprentice competition is a national platform which recognises and celebrates apprentices, whilst also highlighting the crucial contribution they make to the industry.
“With apprentices so important to the future success of the industry, it is great to see that we have received a record number of entries this year.
“To make it through to the highly contested semi-final stage is a fantastic achievement, and I wish this year’s semi-finalists the very best of luck in making it to the final.”
