South Hampshire College Group student Frankie McAll, 20, from Waterlooville, has won the South East regional heat of the Sparks 2025 Learner of the Year competition. He will now compete against 7 others in the grand final in Birmingham this April.
The Sparks Learner of the Year competition is one of the most exciting opportunities for emerging talent in the electrical industry, pitting the brightest and most capable prospects across the nation against each other in a competitive environment. During January and February, outstanding Level 2 and Level 3 students from across colleges in England and Wales have competed in six regional heats, tasked with completing a live practical installation under timed conditions.
Frankie’s success came in the South East regional heat at Aldershot Construction College, where he emerged victorious from ten students representing seven other colleges, as the only individual to successfully complete the installation project within the strict four-hour time limit. This involved carefully following instructions from a detailed spec document in order to put his college education and work experience into practice.
Frankie commented: “It was great to have this opportunity as I’d never taken part in an industry competition before and I was excited to see how I stacked up against others who were also put forward for their skill and ability. I was chuffed to win and I could really feel the benefits of both my workplace experience and time in college in making this happen. It was an intense and tiring day so it’s a little daunting thinking ahead to the final but it’s already really increased my confidence to have made it this far, anything else beyond this is a bonus.”
Paul Austin, Electrical Curriculum Area Manager at Eastleigh College, part of South Hampshire College Group, taught Frankie during his first year at college and put him forward for the Sparks competition. Paul said: “This competition is always of a very high standard but I could see Frankie’s quality of work in our workshops and knew he could handle this. He was well prepared, motivated and completed the project to a very high standard within the time frame – he has done himself and the College proud. It vindicates what we do as lecturers when we have a talent like Frankie who is able to showcase the skills and knowledge that we try to impart into all our students.”
The grand final of the 2025 Sparks Learner of the Year competition is set to take place in April (date TBC) at the JTL Training Centre in Birmingham. In addition to the competition, this event will provide valuable networking opportunities with industry specialists.
To learn more about the Sparks Learner of the Year annual competition, please click here.
