Personal wealth of 'craft millionaires' rose by half in 2003 to £4.2bn

Many learned their trade the hard way, at the local technical college, the shop floor or in the kitchen. But Britain's growing class of "craft millionaires" have enjoyed a bumper 12 months, seeing their net worth soar by more than £1.5bn.

Many learned their trade the hard way, at the local technical college, the shop floor or in the kitchen. But Britain's growing class of "craft millionaires" have enjoyed a bumper 12 months, seeing their net worth soar by more than £1.5bn.

According to the second edition of the Vocational Rich List, the collective fortune of the top 25 trade-trained men and women has topped £4.2bn.

Among them are chefs, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, now worth £20m each. From the fashion world come designers Alexander McQueen and Karen Millen - also worth £20m.

But it is men who made their money in industry who dominate this year's list, compiled by Philip Beresford, author of the Sunday Times' Rich List.

Of the top 25, only two are women, Ms Millen and Hilary Cropper, 63, a former apprentice at GEC who went on to lead the flotation of information technology group Xansa.

Topping the list is John Caudwell, 51, who began as an apprentice at the Michelin factory in Stoke-on-Trent. The mobile phone tycoon is now worth £1,280m after selling his Singlepoint customer billing operation to Vodafone. At number two is Trevor Hemmings, 69, a former bricklaying apprentice from Leyland who made his fortune in gambling and leisure, and whose wealth is valued at £700m. Third is Laurence Graff, 66, the East End diamond merchant who took an apprenticeship at Hatton Garden before building a string of shops worldwide, valued at £450m.

Jamie Oliver, 29, ranks 18th alongside fellow chef Gordon Ramsay. Oliver took a City and Guilds NVQ in home economics before going on to work at the River Café and now enjoys international celebrity with his television work.

Likewise Ramsay, 37, whose embryonic footballing career was cut short by injury and who was left to rely on his catering qualification from Banbury Technical College. Gordon Ramsay Holdings is valued at £2.6m while his restaurants, television work and "brand name" have increased that figure nearly eight-fold.

Karen Millen, 42, converted her City & Guilds in fashion from Medway College into a business run from her parent's house which she built up to an empire of 75 shops bearing her name. Alexander McQueen, trained in Savile Row before going on to St Martin's School of Art. In 2000, he sold 51 per cent of his London company to Gucci for £50m.