Going live with electrical

With the support of the Ministry of Education, WorldSkills New Zealand designed fun and dynamic regional interschool competitions focussed on electrical trade skills, communication and project management for Year 11–13 students. The 2022 Interschool Electrical competitions connected schools, students and industry.

Seventeen schools and 23 teams took part across six regional events connecting teachers and Gateway coordinators, schools, employers and community in Hamilton, Napier, Timaru, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill.

Laura McLeod, Gateway Coordinator at Shirley Boys’ High School says the Christchurch Interschool Electrical Event was “incredibly well run and well organised”.

Students completed a variety of real-world tasks including wiring up a miniature house, quickly but safely driving a “work van” (trolley cart) to collect gear from the depot, crawling across a mock ceiling cavity and working under floor spaces complete with spiders and cobwebs. The competitors also got to learn from St John Community Education Staff, and to show off their own First Aid skills during the first aid module.

Alongside the competition was guidance from volunteers who had brought with them many years of industry experience. Some also brought the additional atmosphere and friendly banter as mock site foremen.

Laura says more schools from across New Zealand would benefit from getting on board and she would also love to see the programme replicated in other industries such as plumbing, drain laying, building and other construction trades.