Young Electricians Honoured at Barlows Electrical Training Awards
TALENTED young sparks were honoured at a leading electrical contractor’s first ever training awards and renewable technology specialist Stiebel Eltron was involved in the awards night.
Barlows Electrical, which is based in the North West with branches in Chadderton, Greater Manchester and Malpas, Cheshire, held the awards evening to celebrate the achievements of eight electricians who have passed through Barlows’ dedicated training centre.
The business, which works on domestic and commercial projects across the UK, is also celebrating being named as Best Medium Employer of the Year at the North West Regional Training Awards. Barlows will now go through to the National Training Awards final in Birmingham on November 14.
Barlows launched its own skills hub three years ago, with 65 apprenticeships now currently in training at the centre. Most are apprentices on Barlows’ books although other companies are now using the centre’s award-winning courses and facilities to train up their staff.
A special ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ was presented on the night to 23-year-old Tiffany Gibson from Wem, who was the first female to ever qualify as an electrician at Barlows. Tiffany was presented with an award by Stuart Doggrell of Merseyside-based Stiebel Eltron – a key supplier for Barlows Electrical’s green energy division.
Tiffany, who joined the business aged 16 straight from school, said: “I had always wanted to be an electrician and I was delighted when Barlows gave me an interview. I went on to an apprenticeship which at the time was run through another provider, and qualified three years ago. Since then I have worked on a range of different projects, from small residential to full commercial fit-outs.
“I have never met another female electrician and I have definitely faced certain challenges in the industry. Barlows has always been very supportive though and treated me exactly the same as all the other apprentices and employees.”
David Barlow, Training and Development Director at Barlows Electrical, said: “We are very proud of our Training Centre and how many successful young electricians we have brought through since launching three years ago.
“We see our young people as the future of our company. The Training Centre is an invaluable tool to develop the skills of our workforce and nurture a feeling of inspiration, loyalty and hard work.
“We are delighted that Stuart from Stiebel Eltron could present Tiffany’s award, as green energy is a real growth area for the business and an opportunity we are strongly looking to capitalise on. This year we secured MCS accreditation for Solar PV installations and we have almost completed MCS accreditation to install heat pumps.”
Stuart Doggrell said: “To be the first female apprentice to qualify through Barlows’ programme in their history is an immense achievement which Tiffany should be very proud of. Stiebel Eltron is an equal opportunities employer with a number of hard-working, talented female employees in both our technical and sales departments, and we can appreciate the resistance which women sometimes face in this industry.”
Barlows Electrical is a long-established specialist electrical and plumbing contractor and wholesaler, working with national blue chip companies, building contractors, housing associations and local authorities on both fit-out and maintenance projects.
Stiebel Eltron is one of the UK’s leading green energy product manufacturers, specialising in microgeneration technology such as ground and air source heat pumps, solar PV and solar thermal.
Ends
Article supplied by Artemis Media Profile on behalf of:
Stiebel Eltron
Tel: 0151 346 2300
Email: info@stiebel-eltron.co.uk
Web: http://www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk