Hamilton Litestat is providing electrical installation training aids to apprentices at the Kings Langley Campus at West Herts College, Hertfordshire, in an attempt to curb the current industry skills shortage and support the next generation of qualified electricians.
Through its relationship with local wholesaler Grant & Stone Hemel Hempstead, Hamilton is supplying West Herts College with purpose-built smart control wiring boards for use during their electrical training courses. These interactive demonstration boards allow the apprentices – typically aged 16-18 – to learn how to wire Hamilton’s Smart Lighting Control and Multi-Room Audio systems and help them gain experience and confidence in wiring smart control solutions.
The Hamilton training boards feature a mock-layout of a house with LED lamps positioned in various rooms. Attached to the board is a four-channel smart dimmer pack as well as a two-channel audio pack. The apprentices can wire up various circuits in the house as requested and control the system using a push-button or touchscreen control plate. There is also the option to download the iOS/Android app and control the system with a swipe of their finger.
“Working with manufacturers, such as Hamilton, gives our students a great insight into their future careers and helps them better understand the industry,” explains Gordon Clarke, Head of School, Engineering at West Herts College. “Smart technology is now mainstream, and students should be encouraged to work with it. Receiving the hands-on experience that has been facilitated by Hamilton’s support is a really valuable learning tool for our students.”
Hamilton’s marketing manager, Gavin Williams, added: “We want to support in training our next wave of qualified electricians to ensure they are educated on smart controls and not daunted by them. These trainees have been brought up in the age of the Internet, so technology is less intimidating and less of a barrier, but we want to make sure they have the latest skills and can utilise them as they progress within the industry. Hamilton is investing in programmes like this, along with our own free training courses, to help try and bridge the industry’s skills gap.”
