Shelley Elliott named 'Sparkie of the Year'

Third-year electrician-in-training Shelley Elliott has been awarded the title of Apprentice of the Year by TAFE SA and electrical equipment and accessories provider Clipsal by Schneider Electric (Clipsal). Part of the ‘Sparkies Scholarship’ program, the highly contested award saw Shelley beat nine of her peers to win a $5000 grant to kickstart her career.

Presenting to a panel of five judges, Shelley and her fellow sparkies participated in an intensive 4-month competition, with each apprentice challenged to learn how to manage their own business while undertaking hands-on training in the latest electrical products, including Clipsal’s Wiser Smart Home technology. The final challenge invited participants to present an innovative business plan for their own electrical servicing business.

Speaking about the program, Elliott said, “I signed up to the program to meet new people, get familiar with industry-leading electrical products and learn how to run my own business from TAFE SA’s industry experts.”

Each student selected a customer persona and was tasked with developing an angle to support sales with their customer segment. Elliott chose the ‘outsourcers’ audience: those who wanted to upgrade their home but didn’t have the time or knowledge to tackle it.

“The program opened my eyes to understanding what the customer wants and working with them directly, as well as with the contractor,” Elliott said. “For the next generation of sparkies, I could not recommend this apprenticeship program more highly. To go on to win the coveted Sparkie of the Year award is one of the greatest achievements in my career so far.”

David Moore, Partner Programs Manager at Clipsal, commented, “It was extremely important for Clipsal and TAFE SA to create a well-rounded program that mixed real-life experience, access to the latest technology while pushing students to think outside of the box when it came to solving common business challenges.

“The award recognises the apprentice who performs the best academically and in the field by undertaking a special task created by Clipsal. By partnering with TAFE SA, the program produces well-rounded talent that will go on to become the leading electricians of the future.”

Taking students out of their comfort zone was central to helping them develop professionally, said Scott Fereday, Principal Lecturer at TAFE SA. “Our students stepped up to the plate, demonstrating their business savvy to a real-world challenge while offering an innovative proposition to their nominated customer.”

Moore added, “Diversity of education and experience sets the Sparkie Scholarship program above the rest. The future is bright for the next league of sparkies coming up the ranks and we look forward to kicking off the program again in 2022.”

The scholarship is open to third-year TAFE SA electrical apprentices, selected by TAFE SA across its nine delivery campuses. TAFE SA trains approximately 1500 electrical apprentices annually. Clipsal provided specialised training and mentoring through leading electricians from the Club Clipsal program, undertaking hands-on sessions with the latest technology and products.

Top image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/kmls