The highly respected Engineers of Tomorrow competition is designed to recognise and showcase the next generation of security and fire systems installers from across the UK. The competition helps to raise the profile of engineering apprenticeships and the opportunity they represent within the sector.

Usually taking place at IFSEC and FIREX International each year, winners of regional heats compete in a live installation challenge at the show. 2019’s competition saw over 100 entrants take part, and while the 2020 competition was unable to go ahead, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 event is in full flow, with the finalists now revealed!  And this year, the winners of the electronic security competition will proceed to the final of WorldSkills UK LIVE, the nation’s premier skills, apprenticeships and careers event.

The standards were once again extremely high this year, with over 160 entries across the two competitions. Congratulations to all those below who have made it into the final stages of the process:

Electronic Security Systems (WorldSkills UK finalists)

• Richard Collingwood (JCI – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
• Thomas Docherty (JCI – Training Provider: New College Lanarkshire)
  
• Gianluca Mori (Banham Group – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
  
• Lucas Hearn (Banham Group – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
  
• Tony Steer (JCI – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
  
• Peter Smylie (Beacon NI – Training Provider: South East Regional College)
  
• Sean Kent (JCI – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
  
• Owen Nelson (EFT – Training Provider: Skills for Security)
  
• Josh Stewart (Assure Alarms – Training Provider: GTG Training)
  

Well done to those who made it to the National Qualifiers, just missing out on the WorldSkills UK finalist places: Oliver Moye (Camera Security), Ben Bryans (CSS Ltd), Adam Smylie (Beacon), James McIntyre (EFT), and Adriana Burian (ACL).

Ben Blackledge, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, WorldSkills UK, said: “I want to offer my congratulations to all those that took part in our programme this year, especially the finalists. Our competitions and competition-based development programmes equip apprentices and students with the lifelong, world-class skills that will help increase UK productivity and competitiveness.”

The programme has a real impact on those taking part, with 90% of previous entrants saying their career progression improved after competing, and 86% stating their personal and employability skills had improved.

Fire (Engineers of Tomorrow finalists)

• Jessica Goodson (JCI – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
• Leo Green (BK Fire Ltd – Training Provider: Skills for Security)
  
• Tony Steer (JCI – Training Provider: Banham Academy)
  
• Adam Smylie (Beacon NI – Training Provider: South East Regional College)
  

Find out more about some of the finalists, and why they’d encourage others to consider a career in the security and fire systems installation sector, here: Meet the WorldSkills UK and EoT finalists!