A long-standing awards across the electrical and electronic industries – the ECA Edmundson Electrical Awards – has been reshaped and relaunched, covering electricians and engineers. The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) says that its awards, which have been running since 1975, have helped apprentices – and more recently adult trainees – to gain recognition for their work and consequently, rise up the ranks through the electrotechnical industry. Prizes on offer to those entering the awards include:
A trip overseas, worth thousands of pounds, for the national winners
Thousands of pounds worth of cash prizes to regional and national winners
Toolkits for the national winners
Certificate of commendation for all regional winners and runners up
Formal recognition and role as an industry ambassador for national winners
Promotional opportunities for the firms who winning entrants work for
The 11 regional winners will be announced in late June, before a further national judging process over the summer. The national winner will be announced in September, during an event attended by the shortlisted candidates.
Edmundson Electrical Managing Director Gordon Love said: “Edmundson Electrical has trained hundreds of apprentices and continues to significantly invest in the development of our staff. People make a company and people make an industry – through the ECA Edmundson Electrical Awards we aim to identify people who can be great ambassadors for our industry and also demonstrate to companies who don’t currently invest in apprenticeships the benefits of doing so.
“The electrotechnical industry is growing both in traditional areas and in new technologies, such as renewables, data communications and fire and security. We need to make young people aware of the breadth of opportunities available to them, and the exciting careers on offer, and we urge ECA Members to enter these awards.”
And ECA Chief Executive Steve Bratt said: “The ECA is delighted to partner with Edmundson Electrical in these awards. There is intense competition for young talent and there can be misleading impressions about the type of work and career opportunities within our industry. The ECA Edmundson Electrical Awards are a fantastic way of recognising the achievements of young people in our member companies, and the support that our members give to the development of their workforce.
“In addition to the apprentice training going on in the larger contractors, the electrotechnical industry is unique in the level of investment that small and micro businesses make in training – a message we have successfully passed to government. The next duo of ambassadors from this year’s awards will help us to reinforce that message and show that building engineering services is a fantastic sector in which to work, and to build a successful career.”
Last year’s Apprentice of the Year Mike O’Donovan of T Clarke has been managing electrical engineering projects in Wales. While 2014 Adult Trainee of the Year and former soldier Gareth Morris of Ayjay Group has led high-profile projects, including an electrical reinstallation at a flooded supermarket store in Carlisle.
The first part of entering the awards now takes just seconds, by completing an online form. An ECA representative will then be in touch to advise on any next steps. The deadline for entering the ECA Edmundson Electrical Awards is Friday, April 15.
