Stephenson Campus Hosts Successful Hip & Sparks Learner of the Year Heat!

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 9 March 2023

SMB College Group recently hosted the Midlands heats of the HIP and Sparks Learner of the Year competitions at their Stephenson Campus in Coalville!

The event saw Plumbing and Electrical students from across the region descend upon the campus to battle it out for a place in the grand finals, which are to take place later this year.  

Two of SMB College Group’s own Apprentices competed in the heat: Electrical Installation Apprentice, Ben Noon, and Adam Symes Goodman, Plumbing & Heating Apprentice with UK Gas.

During the event, participants completed a series of tasks under timed conditions to demonstrate the knowledge and skills that they’ve acquired so far in their respective trades, all of which will took place in the college’s purpose-built, industry standard Plumbing and Electrical workshops.

Jon Laud, Assistant Principal at SMB College Group, said of the event ‘SMB College Group were again proud to host the Midlands HIP and SPARKS competition. It was fantastic to see future talent from across the area showcasing their craftsmanship in a world-class setting. It was lovely to hear such positive feedback from the judges, industry professionals, and the students/apprentices on feeling so welcome, and on SMB College Group providing a learning environment in which learners can thrive. The future of skills is strong!’

As the longest running college host of the Hip & Sparks Learner of the Year Competitions, SMB College Group were proud to again play a vital role in this year’s events by offering the facilities at their specialist technical and trade campus in Coalville.

SMB College Group’s Stephenson Campus is a well-known training centre for a wide variety of Construction and Engineering trades. Students are able to enrol onto full-time programmes, apprenticeships, T Levels, short courses and more, with a range of opportunities available from Entry Level up to Undergraduate study. 

HIP and Sparks are student magazines which focus on Plumbing/Heating and Electrical education, respectively. Their Learner of the Year competitions are annual events aiming to find the very best student talent within their respective industries, with a range of fantastic prizes up for grabs for students and their colleges.

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