An electrical apprentice from Lockerbie has won two skills competitions in the space of 48 hours. Steven Harper, 21, who works for Derek Mitchell Electrical Ltd, came first in the Electrotechnical Modern Apprenticeship Competition (eMAc), Scotland’s premier electrotechnical skills competition and the Scottish heat of SkillELECTRIC, the UK’s skills competition for apprentice electricians.
He won both competitions after completing two days of practical tests and tasks based on workplace scenarios faced by electricians, which were held at West College Scotland in Paisley.
Steven said: “I’m so pleased to have won both eMAc and SkillELECTRIC. It’s a tough two days as the competitions are very challenging, but it’s a testimony to the training I’ve had on site and at college that I was able to do so well. I’d encourage anyone who gets the opportunity to take part in both of these to do so – it’s a great way of finding out how much you’ve learned and a chance to get to know other apprentices – and test yourself against them.”
Anne Galbraith, Chief Executive of the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT), which organises the eMAc competition, said: ““Congratulations to Steven and to all the apprentices who took part over both days – they should be very proud of their efforts. It was abundantly clear they have all really enjoyed their apprenticeships and can see the career opportunities that becoming an electrician offers. I would also like to thank my colleagues at SECTT – in particular Roy Dow – the staff at West College Scotland, employers and family members for all their support in making these competitions happen.”
Fiona Harper, Secretary of the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB), said: “We congratulate Steven and also, of course Derek Mitchell Electrical on this double success and wish him well in his bid to reach the UK final.”
Steven now faces a wait to see if he has achieved a high enough total score at SkillELECTRIC to win a place in the UK final in November. If successful, he will compete alongside seven other finalists to win the chance to represent the UK at the biennial WorldSkills event – the world’s largest skills competition – in Kazan in 2019.
Jon Dicken, Technical Development Manager at industry charity NET, which organises the 2016 SkillELECTRIC competition in partnership with WorldSkills, said: “SkillELECTRIC and eMAc provide the opportunity for the best in our industry to showcase their abilities and the technical skill and innovation required to work as an electrician. This is hugely important at a time when the industry is trying to recruit the next generation and competing with a wide range of apprenticeship programmes for the top talent. Steven has done brilliantly to win both competitions in the space of two days – and I wish him all the best for his future career.”
Speaking on behalf of WorldSkills UK Competitions, Dr Neil Bentley, said: “I offer my congratulations to Steven and wish him the best of luck.
“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 better compete globally.”
For more information on eMAc and apprenticeships in Scotland, please visit: http://www.sectt.org.uk
To learn more about SkillELECTRIC and WorldSkills, please visit: https://www.worldskillsuk.org/competitions
