SkillELECTRIC organiser NET is calling on electrical business owners and managers to put their best young electricians forward for the 2017 competition.
The window to enter SkillELECTRIC runs from March 1 to April 7, and NET is looking for employers of final year apprentices or newly qualified electricians who think they are ready to compete against the best in their region.
Jon Dicken, NET Technical Development Manager, said: “This competition is a great opportunity for young electricians to demonstrate their skills and gain recognition for the effort they and their firm have put into developing them. Any business owner or manager who feels they have an employee who could win SkillELECTRIC should enter them for the competition – and we welcome entrants from across the UK.”
Employers who would like to enter a candidate for the competition can do so via the WorldSkills UK website.
Those who are entered for SkillELECTRIC 2017 will be allocated a place in one of six regional heats, which will be held at a range of venues across the UK between June and August of this year. Each heat will involve a series of practical tests and challenges based on the workplace scenarios faced by electricians, and a regional winner, runner-up and second runner up will be crowned once the candidates’ performances have been reviewed by the competition’s judging panel.
“This competition is a great opportunity for young electricians to demonstrate their skills and gain recognition for the effort they and their firm have put into developing them.”
Eight candidates will be selected from the regional heats to go through to the national final at the Skills Show in Birmingham where they will undertake a three-day electrical installation project developed by the competition organisers and the judging panel. The competition winner will be announced at the Skills Show’s medal ceremony and be crowned the UK’s best young electrician of 2017.
Jon continues: “As well as providing an opportunity for young electricians to demonstrate their skills, SkillELECTRIC is an important showcase for the talent our industry develops and a chance to highlight the skills that are needed to work as an electrician. This is crucial at a time when more and more people are considering an apprenticeship and the electrical industry is competing against a range of others to recruit school and college leavers – many of whom don’t realise the breadth and depth of opportunities a career in as an electrician can provide.”
WorldSkills UK Chief Executive Dr Neil Bentley said: “WorldSkills UK Competitions are proven to enhance a person’s apprenticeship or training programme by enabling them to develop key character and employability skills. By using knowledge gained from competing nationally and internationally, we know we are working to benchmarks that will equip more young people with the right skills to help UK businesses compete better globally.”
