TRAINING
ELECTRICAL APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR WINNER ANNOUNCED
The first ever NICEIC and ELECSA Electrical Apprentice of the Year competition , sponsored by Scolmore Group , reached its conclusion on Thursday , 9th June , when 22 year old apprentice electrician Mark Lee from Essex was awarded the prestigious title .
Mark was one of eight competitors to reach the Grand Final which took part at Scolmore Group ’ s head offices in Tamworth , Staffs . The competition was launched in December 2015 and attracted nearly 400 entrants from across the UK .
At the awards ceremony and BBQ evening which followed at The Belfry Hotel , the winner and runner up were announced . Mark was presented with a holiday voucher worth £ 2,000 . All eight finalists were given an engraved glass trophy , an iPad and a kit bag containing an array of Scolmore ’ s electrical accessories , plus a selection of tools .
Mark said , ‘ I can ’ t believe it . It is an unreal feeling . I never thought I would get this far . I thought I would give it a go and just see how I compared . The whole contest has been amazing and we have all been made to feel really proud of ourselves so winning it feels like a really big achievement .’
YOUNG ETHNIC MINORITY AMBASSADORS JOIN JTL ’ S CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE CAREERS IN BUILDING SERVICES
JTL has enlisted the help of six young black and ethnic minority apprentices to encourage other school leavers to consider a career in the building services trades .
The scheme sees the young people , who are currently on an apprenticeship or already working in the building services engineering sector ( as electricians and plumbers ), come together to help raise awareness of the range of opportunities that exist for black and ethnic minority youths . Spread across England and Wales , the new JTL Ambassadors will talk to other young people about the pleasures and pitfalls of their chosen careers .
JTL operates a similar Ambassador scheme for young women . Such has been its success that since it was set up three years ago , the original group of 10 female Ambassadors has grown to its current 23 young women .
Yasmin Damree-Ralph , equality and diversity manager at JTL , said , ‘ There ’ s clearly an issue to be addressed here and we ’ re taking some positive steps to start redressing the balance and to help all young people have the fullest range of career options available to them .’
JIB LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP GRANT
A new scholarship grant that will award £ 3,000 to an individual studying in the electrical industry has been launched by the Joint Industry Board ( JIB ).
The aim of the scholarship is to promote higher level studies , such as a MA , MSc or General Law Master ’ s degree course .
Following a recent increase in applications for degree level courses , the JIB decided to launch the scholarship to support those wishing to study at postgraduate level .
Following completion of a Master ’ s level course , there may be opportunities through the Skills Development Fund to progress to a PhD .
To be eligible for the grant , candidates must be graded as an Approved Electrician as a minimum and either employed by a JIB member company , or registered as unemployed .
Andy Reakes , secretary to the JIB Skills Development Fund , explained , ‘ The Committee is hopeful this grant can either assist someone who is undertaking a relevant Master ’ s degree , or provide the opportunity to someone who is considering advancing their academic understanding of the industry . Those undertaking this level of study should be commended , as it ’ s a difficult challenge and a genuine commitment . We hope this financial assistance eases the process .’
CHARITY ’ S HEALTH WARNING ON TRAINING COURSE
Electrical Safety First has issued a health warning regarding one day training schemes for visual checks of electrical installations in UK homes .
Aimed at surveyors and energy assessors , the £ 375 course , which launches this autumn , offers just a single day ’ s training and membership of the NAPIT / SAVA Electrical Safety Surveyor membership scheme . But Electrical Safety First has queried the purpose – and effectiveness – of the training , as similar information is freely available . And the charity is also concerned that it will add to the confusion around regular electrical safety checks .
‘ The composition of the course itself is puzzling ,’ commented Phil Buckle , director general of Electrical Safety First . ‘ It includes , for example , a reference to identifying the key components of a consumer unit . Apart from clearly recognising an old consumer unit , you can only visually check if it has an RCD . This doesn ’ t need specialist training and anything else related to a consumer unit should be left to a properly trained , professional electrician .
‘ Given that supporting material for this course clearly states it will not qualify people to undertake a full electrical inspection and testing work , or complete an Electrical Inspection Condition Report ( EICR ), it ’ s difficult to see why it has been launched .’
CEDIA APPLAUDS SUCCESSFUL CITY & GUILDS COURSE PARTICIPANTS
CEDIA is celebrating the first wave of newly qualified CEDIA Smart Home Technicians and Smart Home Designers .
CEDIA ’ s Smart Home Technician programme is awarded to participants who successfully complete 12 training courses , including the CEDIA Boot Camp , ESC Technical and Networking schools . Attendees who successfully sit the ESC-T and ESC-N certification are presented with a City & Guilds accredited Smart Home Technician certificate .
Similarly , participants who successfully complete CEDIA ’ s Smart Home Designer track , featuring eight training courses from the Designer School , Lighting and Home Cinema Design training packages , and pass the ESC-D certification , are presented with the City & Guilds accredited Smart Home Designer certificate .
Mike Fish , founder and director at Shoal Computer Solutions , took part in the City & Guilds Smart Technician track to help expand his business to encompass all aspects of home technology .
Mike commented , ‘ I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it to be an excellent starting point for expanding my business into the home technology market . As well as increasing my knowledge in areas I had very little previous experience in , CEDIA ’ s City & Guilds accreditation now allows me to present a more professional image to potential clients and gives me greater confidence promoting my new services .’
TOP TALENT ON DISPLAY AT SKILLELECTRIC HEATS
The 2016 SkillElectric heats have got off to a flying start with three talented electricians taking top spots around England and Wales .
After scoring most highly in a challenging five hour mock installation that tested the full range of their electrical abilities , the winners were named as :
• English Midlands – Ben Brookes , 24 , Stoke on Trent College / Hanning
• Wales - Garin Long , 19 , Coleg Gwent / CTE Electrical
• Southern England - Michael Pemberton , 22 , Petroc Tiverton Campus
Once all regional heats have been completed , the highest scoring competitors from across the UK will go forward to the grand final at The Skills Show , being held 16th-19th November at the Birmingham NEC . At the event , competitors will face a gruelling three day task in the quest to be named SkillElectric UK champion .
Iain Macdonald , CEO of industry charity NET , WorldSkills 2016 Competition Partner , said , ‘ SkillElectric provides an opportunity for the best in our industry to showcase their abilities and the level of skill and technical excellence required to work as an electrician . This is hugely important at a time when the industry is in need of new blood , and more young people are considering the vocational route when they leave school .’
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