Over three days 64 apprentice engineers pitted their skills against one another in a security installation competition.
Competitors had 90 minutes in which to install and find faults with a security system. The overall winners and their employers will be invited to the prestigious Security Excellence Awards, which take place in November in London, where the Engineer of Tomorrow 2016 winner will be anointed to claim a £1,000 prize.
“By winning the heat, our apprentices have shown they are using the extensive skills already learnt in their first year, both at college and on site with ourselves, and we look forward to supporting their further development.” SES Alarms of Yeovil
Day one heat winners from Telcam Security Systems
Sponsored by CSL DualCom, NSI, SSAIB and Skills for Security the competition serves as a platform through which apprentices and engineers not only burnish their credentials as installers/engineers but help to raise the profile of their employers too.
The winners also earn NVQ portfolio credits.
Launched 18 years ago by Skills For Security (then the Security Industry Training Organisation) as the IFSEC Apprentice Challenge the Engineers of Tomorrow competition gave rise to the 100 in 100 initiative six years ago. Now called Apprentices for Fire and Security this initiative targets the placement of 100 security apprentices in 100 days.
Apprentices for Fire and Security, which was co-founded by Skills for Security and CSL DualCom group managing director Simon Banks (number 13 in IFSEC’s most influential people in the fire and security industries 2016), has already helped launch the careers of more than 3,000 young apprentices.
“Every apprentice must be given access to a clear programme of academia to support their everyday practical learning experience. When complete these young people have a recession-resistant career for life that can span multiple disciplines.” Simon Banks, MD, CSL DualCom
Day two heat winners from SES Fire & Security
Day one
Day two
Day three
SES Alarms of Yeovil, whose apprentices won the day two heats, said in a statement that the company is “extremely proud of both Josh Guy and JJ Ham’s achievement in the heats of the Engineers of Tomorrow competition at IFSEC.
“The training they receive from Yeovil College on the Providing Electrical, Security & Emergency Systems Apprenticeship gives them the foundation knowledge and skills vital to enable them to progress within our company and the industry as a whole.
“By winning the heat, both have shown they are using the extensive skills already learnt in their first year, both at college and on site with ourselves, and we look forward to supporting their further development.
“We recognise the benefits, to both the engineer and our company of undertaking an apprenticeship, allowing the security industry to maintain high standards in the future.”
Day three heat winners from Banham
Simon Banks says: “There’s been an ongoing drought of talent within the electrotechnical skills sector. As a result, simple supply and demand will increase salaries to a level that employers can’t afford.
“We must flood our sector with skills to enable businesses to remain competitive and provide sustainable careers with longevity and opportunity. Managed career progression is vital.
“Young people have to see a way forward within their current business – greener grass doesn’t always mean changing to another company. Losing key people is stifling to any size of business.
“This is only compounded if your competition values them more – retention of key employees requires constant employer diligence, trust, integrity and refreshing challenges to keep things interesting.
“A walk around the annual IFSEC show provides the most graphic testament to the scale of variety on offer across multiple electrotechnical vertical sectors.
“Every apprentice must be given access to a clear programme of academia to support their everyday practical learning experience. When complete these young people have a recession-resistant career for life that can span multiple disciplines.”
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