NEWS
Two electrical sector apprentices from Northern Ireland have secured bronze medals at WorldSkills UK in Manchester, which also saw Southern Regional College (SRC) named as best performing college for a second consecutive year. SRC student Conor McDonnell, an apprentice at Nesbit Electrical, picked up third place in the Electrical Installation category. And Belfast Met student Stephen Hyland, an apprentice at Dalkia, was awarded bronze in the category of Electronic Security Systems. SRC students scooped 12 medals at Worldskills UK, topping the leaderboard in points awarded and number of medals won. The national finals were held over November 14-17 at colleges, independent training providers and universities across Greater Manchester, with results announced at a glittering awards ceremony in NI apprentices secure bronze medals at WorldSkills UK
Rising extreme weather conditions in Ireland highlight a need for investment in a smarter, decentralised grid, according to Chris Collins. Schneider Electric’s Country President for Ireland said the island needs a more resilient power network that isn’t subject to high energy prices, supply shortages and dependence on foreign gas and oil imports. “Investments in a smarter, decentralised grid based on a network of microgrids - self- contained sites that allow you to generate your own electricity using a mix of renewables - will add resiliency,” he said. Microgrids can be rolled out at a quicker pace than national grid upgrades, and at a fraction of the cost. “In the short-term, smart digital tools can help regulate power consumption and make the most of existing capacity, before transitioning to off-grid solutions powered by wind, solar and other clean energy sources like green hydrogen. “These solutions are readily available, supporting standalone sites dotted all over Ireland, with potentially more on the way once the new Private Wire legislation has been agreed, granting private ownership of electricity infrastructure to support new Schneider Electric Ireland President calls for decentralised grid
Belfast Met students Connor Leddy and Stephen Hyland both qualified to compete in WorldSkills UK in the Electronic Security Systems category, with Stephen going on to win a bronze medal.
Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall hosted by Edith Bowman. WorldSkills UK is a partnership between education providers, industry and the UK government to champion skill sets and raise industry standards. The competition celebrates the best of young talent and provides young people with the opportunity to progress to European and WorldSkills competition series. www.worldskillsuk.org
Domestic electricians from overseas can now map their skills and knowledge against UK standards.
New qualifications mapping service created for overseas domestic electricians
energy use cases.” www.se.com/ie/en/
A new service is enabling electricians with overseas qualifications seeking to complete the Domestic Electrician Experienced Worker Assessment to map their skills and
used to embark on the Experienced Worker Assessment, filling in any knowledge or training gaps before having their practical competence assessed on UK-based projects. Ecctis has already been mapping overseas electricians against the Installation & Maintenance Electrician apprenticeship standard, with its new service developed alongside TESP launched in January 2024. January also saw the launch of revised electrotechnical mapping against the Installation & Maintenance standard after the apprenticeship was updated in September 2023. www.electrical-ewa.org.uk
knowledge against UK standards. TESP and international qualifications
recognition body Ecctis collaborated on the mapping process to review an applicant’s overseas electrical qualifications and verify which technical knowledge from their home country is transferrable and aligned to the knowledge units of the Domestic Electrician apprenticeship standard. It provides the applicant with an official Industry Skills Statement which can then be
Chris Collins, Country President Ireland, Schneider Electric, UK&I
ELECTEX LIMERICK: REGISTER TO ATTEND AT WWW.BEPEX.IE
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