Our search for the SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year is nearly over...
This year, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year competition.
Throughout January and February, we travelled across seven regions of the UK in search of our 2019 winner. The winner of each regional heat and the highest runner-up overall scorer will go on to the grand final, which will take place at the 3M Customer Innovation Centre. The dates and venues for the regional heats are below.
The SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year finalists
North East – Bradley Smith, Derwentside College
North West – Zack Duxbury, Burnley College
South West – Will Frapple, Petroc
Wales – Elliott Dix, Cardiff and Vale College
Northern Ireland – Scott Barr, South East Regional College
Midlands – Ben Reeves, Northampton College
South East – Chris Davenport, Farnborough College of Technology
Highest scoring runner-up – Ben Kidner, Bridgwater & Taunton College
Alongside the prestige for both the winning student and winning college, there’s a fantastic list of prizes worth up to £10,000 up for grabs. The prizes have been donated by well-known industry names including Platinum sponsor Schneider Electric, Gold sponsor Electric Center, Silver sponsor WAGO, and Bronze sponsors Rated People, 3M, The IET and product sponsor HiKOKI. In addition, each student in the competition received a free Schneider toolbox.
You can check out the 2018 test here.
Last year’s finalists completed the most comprehensive test to date. It consisted of wiring, various conduit bends, a consumer unit, switches and bulbs, which were all live tested at the end of the second day.
Last year’s winner, Matt Taylor, from Farnborough College of Technology, said: “I’m ecstatic – I just didn’t see myself winning. I entered to give myself a challenge and I’ve definitely achieved that.
“The other competitors were great and what I’ll take away from this is the knowledge that I can do something that I thought I couldn’t.”
Entries for 2019 are now closed.
Find out more about our competition judges (click to enlarge)
NE Regional
15/01/2019
Newcastle College, Rye Hill Campus, Scotswood Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7SA
NW Regional
17/01/2019
Burnley College, Princess Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0AN
SW Regional
22/01/2019
Petroc College, Mid Devon Campus, Bolham Road, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6SH
Wales Regional
24/01/2019
Gower College Swansea, Jubilee Court Campus, Unit 1-2 Jubilee Court, Swansea, SA5 4HB
NI Regional
07/02/2019
Belfast Met College, Castlereagh Campus, Montgomery Road, Belfast, BT6 9JD
Midlands Regional
19/02/2019
Stephenson College, Coalville Campus, Thornborough Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3TN
SE Regional
21/02/2019
West Herts College, Kings Langley Campus, Home Park, Mill Link Road, Kings Langley, WD4 8LZ
Grand Final
20-21/03/2019
3M United Kingdom PLC, 3M Centre, Cain Road, Bracknell, RG12 8HT
SPARKS Magazine runs seven annual regional events across the UK, where manufacturers are given the opportunity to present their products to college lecturers. These run alongside the SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year competition in January and February.
For lecturers, this is where you can find out about the latest products and services on the market, whilst at the same time gaining free CPD hours.
For manufacturers, this is a unique chance to engage with plumbing and heating engineering lecturers, the brand ambassadors in the colleges. These events are used to run focus groups, product demonstrations or technical presentations.
This year, the event was sponsored by The IET, with additional talks from WAGO, Connexbox, Klein Tools, Megger, Luceco, Stroma, EAL, Hamilton Litestat and Starrett.
You can view photos of these events at the bottom of this page!
Will I receive a CPD Certificate for attending?
Yes, you will receive a CPD Certificate at the end of the day.
Do I need to reserve a seat?
You can turn up on the day but it is helpful for us to know numbers of attendees as manufacturers often like to give goody bags and you won’t want to miss out! So please email admin@sng-publishing.co.uk with your details so that we can send you details of the event and reserve a seat for you.
Can I bring colleagues with me?
Yes, you can bring as many colleagues with you as you like. Please email admin@sng-publishing.co.uk with your colleagues’ details so that we can prepare their CPD Certificate for the day.
Is there parking?
Yes, free parking will be provided on site. Please contact us for directions.
How long does each presentation last?
Each session will last 30 minutes.
Will lunch and refreshments be provided?
Yes, so please provide us with any dietary requirements in advance of the day.
Are students allowed to go to the presentations?
The presentations are specially tailored for lecturers. However, some presentations may be suitable and of interest to Level 3 apprentices so please ask the presenter on the day or contact us prior to the event to enquire.
Who will be presenting?
Leading manufacturers, trade bodies and key industry leaders. We invite manufacturers to offer practical demonstrations of innovative products to help keep lecturers abreast of exciting new products hitting the market. There will also be various key industry leaders and awarding bodies who will be on hand to discuss industry regulations and important changes in the syllabus and new qualifications.
Can I attend all of the presentations?
Yes, we advise you to attend all the presentations on the day so that we can give you a CPD Certificate for attending.
How much does it cost?
The presentations are free for lecturers to attend.
What time do the presentations start?
The presentations usually kick off at 9am, but please check the timetable when you arrive. We suggest that you arrive at 8.45am – this will give you plenty of time to grab a tea or coffee and find your seat.
How many presentations will there be?
There are normally 10 presentations on the day.
NE Regional
15/01/2019
Newcastle College, Rye Hill Campus, Scotswood Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7SA
NW Regional
17/01/2019
Burnley College, Princess Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0AN
SW Regional
22/01/2019
Petroc College, Mid Devon Campus, Bolham Road, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6SH
Wales Regional
24/01/2019
Gower College Swansea, Jubilee Court Campus, Unit 1-2 Jubilee Court, Swansea, SA5 4HB
NI Regional
07/02/2019
Belfast Met College, Castlereagh Campus, Montgomery Road, Belfast, BT6 9JD
Midlands Regional
19/02/2019
Stephenson College, Coalville Campus, Thornborough Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3TN
SE Regional
21/02/2019
West Herts College, Kings Langley Campus, Home Park, Mill Link Road, Kings Langley, WD4 8DH
Grand Final
20-21/03/2019
3M United Kingdom PLC, 3M Centre, Cain Road, Bracknell, RG12 8HT
Testimonials
Events galleries
2019 Midlands SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
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2019 Midlands SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year
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2019 South East SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
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2019 South East SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 Northern Ireland SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 Northern Ireland SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 Wales SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 Wales SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 South West SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 South West SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 North West SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 North West SPARKS UK Electrical Apprentice of the Year
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
2019 North East SPARKS Meet the Lecturer
VIEW FLICKR ALBUM
