After more than a month of marking and deliberation from the judges, the second stage of The Electrical Apprentice of the Year competition, which is run in association with competition partners, Scolmore Group and Voltimum, is underway.
More than 540 electrical students completed the first stage of the competition – an online exam comprising of 40 multiple choice questions relating to electrical installations. Now the top 20% of entrants will go to the second heat of the competition where they will take part in a two-hour written exam held at several locations across the UK.
Encouraging talented individuals
Kicking off in Corby, the second stage of this year’s competition will test the apprentices' understanding and knowledge of installation practices in a two-hour written exam. Darren Staniforth, group senior technical presenter for NICEIC and ELECSA said: “This is the fifth year we have run the competition and the benchmark score to qualify for stage two has gone up each year. This is the great news for the judges and is very promising for the industry as a whole.”
These bright and talented young men and women are coming to the end of their apprenticeships"
“Each year, we see more and more entrants with a better understanding of the requirements to be an electrician enter the competition. These bright and talented young men and women are coming to the end of their apprenticeships and will be taking on work of their own in the near future so it is vital we promote and encourage these talented individuals and apprenticeships as a whole to others working in the industry.”
Highest scoring students
The second stage of the competition will run until April. The eight highest-scoring students will then go through to the Grand Final which will take place at Scolmore Group HQ, one of the competition partners.
Marie Parry, Group Marketing Director for Scolmore Group said: “We are very proud of our involvement in this competition over the five years since it was launched and we’re delighted to see it continue to grow in stature. We know from talking to the finalists over the years what a key role the competition has played in boosting confidence and helping them to achieve success in their chosen careers.”
Voltimum is really pleased to be supporting this wonderful competition which promotes excellence"
Eddie Embleton, Managing Director of Voltimum UK said: “Voltimum is really pleased to be supporting this wonderful competition which promotes excellence and celebrates the young people taking part. ElectricalApprentice.co.uk was established to support apprentices and it’s nice to know that the standard of the competition is growing each year which is great for our industry.”
Winning fantastic prizes
The competition is not only an opportunity for students to prove their knowledge and abilities but also a chance to win some fantastic prizes. All those taking part in stage two will receive a goody bag from NICEIC and ELECSA, Scolmore Group and Electrical Apprentice; with the eight finalists also getting a brand new iPad courtesy of Scolmore Group.
Scolmore Group is also supplying the main prizes for the winner and two runners up. The overall winner will walk off with a £2,000 holiday voucher, the runner up will take home a £750 holiday voucher and the third place candidate will receive a £250 holiday voucher. The college that produces the overall winner will receive £1,000 worth of Scolmore Group products, while the employer will also receive one year’s free registration with NICEIC or ELECSA.
