Top skills have been on display around the country at the English regional SkillELECTRIC heats. Three talented young electricians have topped the table at their respective events and now have a chance of progressing to the UK final to be held later this year.
The regional winners are:
• South of England: Harvey Hemmens of S. Turner and Bridgwater College
• Midlands: Charles Goodman of MW Cripwell Ltd and Burton Training Organisation
• North of England: Luke Shield of Stobbarts Ltd and Lakes College
Judges scored Harvey, Charles and Luke most highly in a task that involved a complex PVC conduit and trunking installation, enclosing PVC single cables for a socket outlet and two lighting circuits. Competitors were judged against tough criteria including installation quality, positioning of equipment, function and inspection & testing.
The highest scoring competitors from all heats around the UK will be invited to the UK SkillELECTRIC final, taking place during the WorldSkills UK Skills Show in November, at the Birmingham NEC.
Luke Shield, 21, won the most recent event held at Hartlepool College of Further Education. “It’s such a great feeling – the competition was quite stressful at times but it’s nice to be rewarded for all your hard work,” he said. “I’m keen to find out if I’ve made it to the final, as it would be great to see how well I do against others around the UK.”
SkillELECTRIC has National Electrotechnical Training (NET) and the Joint Industry Board (JIB) as its lead sponsors. Chichester College and South & City Birmingham College joined Hartlepool as the three host venues for the events.
