ELECTRICAL installation apprentice Alex Rendall from Bridgwater & Taunton College has won the SPARKS Apprentice of the Year 2020 competition.

Alex, formerly from Crispin School in Street, saw off tough competition from two other talented electrical learners in the final.

Dozens of competitors took part across the county in seven regional heats between January and March, before the lockdown caused the competition to be postponed.

The seven regional winners completed a short online test and their scores were added to the regional test results.

The top three competed in a one-day live final which took place at their own colleges on Thursday, September 24.

Reflecting on his win, Alex said: “I’m over the moon and really happy. All the hard work was worth it.

"It’s a great experience to meet new people and you get to work with products you might not work with on a day-to-day basis. "It’s a great way to develop confidence, as you get the plans in the morning then have to keep calm and figure out how you’re going to do it.”

Head Judge Geoff Brittain from NAPIT said the competition ‘opened his eyes to the new talent coming through in the electrical industry', adding: “It’s been a fantastic competition, and an honour to be a judge at the regional heats up and down the country.”

Alex dropped just two marks out of a possible 151 in the final.

SPARKS Magazine’s Emily Hilton said, “A huge congratulations to Alex on winning this year’s competition with such an incredible score.”

To find out more about our Electrical Installation courses at Bridgwater & Taunton College visit btc.ac.uk or email info@btc.ac.uk.