Mark wins Apprentice of the Year title

A Cambridge Regional College apprentice has won a nationwide competition to find the brightest trainee electrician in the country.

Mark Lee beat 380 other apprentices across the country to be crowned the first NICEIC and ELECSA Apprentice of the Year.

He had to battle through three stages of the competition to lift the trophy, including an online exam on electrical installations, a practical exam and a final set of gruelling challenges, including testing, fault-finding, conduit bending and safe isolation.

Mark, 22, who works for First Call Electrical Contractors in Bishop’s Stortford, said he had tried to stay confident and focused throughout the competition.

“It was fantastic when I heard I’d won. I never thought I would because they were a great bunch of lads and the competition in the final was tough. It was hard work but it was a fun day,” he said.

“I didn’t think I would get this far. I thought I would give it a go and just see how I compared. The whole contest has been amazing and we have all been made to feel really proud of ourselves so winning it feels like a really big achievement.”

Mark was presented with a £2,000 holiday voucher at the competition awards ceremony in Tamworth, and all eight finalists also received an engraved glass trophy, an iPad and a kit bag containing an array of Scolmore’s electrical accessories, plus a selection of tools.  

John Malone, Director of CRC’s Construction faculty, said Mark was an outstanding electrician who had a great future ahead of him.

“We are very proud of Mark’s achievement and absolutely delighted that he has proved himself the very best in the country against strong competition,” he said. “He is a very skilled electrician and we expect him to go very far in his career,” he said.

Caption Apprentice of the Year Mark Lee, centre, with Darren Staniforth (left) and Tony Cable of NICEIC and ELECSA

-ends –

MEDIAENQUIRIES

For mor einformation,please contact Lynn O’Shea,Cambridge Regional College Press Officer, on 01223418773 or email [email protected]