A College Apprentice has scooped the South West Regional heat of a National SPARKS* competition that could see him test his skills in Brazil.

Liam Bennet, 18, of Ebdon Road, Worle, competed at Bridgwater College against nine South West colleges, gaining 170 out of 200 points – 30 more than his nearest rival.

Weston College Building Services and Environmental Technology Manager, Christopher Simpson, said: “Liam has done brilliantly and we’re really proud of him.

“He’s been with us since he was 16 and is now a Level 3 Apprentice working for Weston Electrical Services. The whole electrical team here and at work have supported him.

Liam is now set to compete at a national level in April at Birmingham and if he succeeds is set to jet to Rio de Janeiro later this year for the international final.

The South West Skills Campus (SWSC) on Locking Road is undergoing an £11 million investment.

In 2010, the Construction and Engineering Centre of Excellence (CECE) won a ‘National Training Award’ for the South West of England.

It delivers training in a wide range of construction occupations including, plumbing, electrical installation, carpentry, trowel trades, painting, decorating, plastering, property maintenance, as well as renewable energy courses and apprenticeships.

The CECE holds specialist workshops for training electricians along with bespoke brickwork and carpentry workshops at a resource-based learning centre with online learning available.

The CECE is also a test centre for the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and health and safety card.

There is a 100 per cent success rate for Level 2 qualifications with around 70 per cent of CECE students finding work in industry while others enhance their DIY skills.

The College is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week (March 3-8) with a series of events and initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to take up a new career.

A touring roadshow, a pop-up shop in Weston-super-Mare’s Sovereign Centre and input into a Skills event at the Winter Gardens are just some of the College’s activities during the week.

The week also marks the launch of ‘100 in 100’, a College-led bid, supported by the National Apprenticeship Service and the Weston Mercury newspaper, to create 100 new Apprenticeships in 100 days. One of the key aims of the campaign is to raise awareness of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), which is available for eligible businesses who take on a young apprentice.

On Monday March 3 a pop-up shop will open in the Sovereign Centre and run until Sat March 8, offering information and advice.

A strong emphasis on Apprenticeships will be seen at the Skills Show, taking place at the Winter Gardens on Tuesday March 4. More than 3,000 people are expected at the European Social Fund and Local Enterprise Partnership-funded event, where they will be able to talk to dozens of local and regional employers and other training providers, and enjoy taster sessions in catering, construction, business, hair and beauty and healthcare. Local schoolchildren will be among the visitors to the event which is open from 10am-2pm for school groups and 3pm-7pm for the general public.

The College is also taking a mini version of the Skills Show out on the road, visiting eight schools including ones in Bridgwater, Clevedon and Nailsea. Children will be given an introduction to Apprenticeships, including a talk from an employer, and again, taster sessions will be on offer.

Weston College is the biggest facilitator of Apprenticeship programmes in the region and its Training Solutions, based at the South West Skills Campus on Locking Road, Weston, was set up to provide businesses with relevant and flexible training programmes.

In recent years a huge growth in the number of Apprenticeships has been witnessed, with leaps of more than 100 per cent year-on-year.

James Wilmot, the College’s Apprenticeship Recruitment Coordinator, said: “National Apprenticeship Week is the highlight of our year and 2014 looks to be our most successful yet with the message being spread far and wide.

“We work with a fantastic range of employers and more are getting involved all the time.

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to full time college-based study and our activities during National Apprenticeship Week are a great way for everyone to get all the information they need while trying out the different career routes on offer.”

An upsurge of interest in Apprenticeships at Weston College is being celebrated to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

In recent years the number of Apprenticeships at the College has grown enormously, making Weston College one of the biggest facilitators of work-based training in the region.

More than 90 per cent of College apprentices are now retained by their employers after their training period has finished, and the College works with around 1,000 employers from across the region.

This week (March 3-7) is National Apprenticeship Week and College-related events have been going on all over the area.

A Weston College-branded stand in Weston-super-Mare’s Sovereign shopping centre attracted passers-by interested in information about Apprenticeships.

The College also visited eight schools including ones in Bridgwater, Clevedon and Nailsea. Children were given an introduction to Apprenticeships, including a talk from an employer, and employment taster sessions were on offer.

It also marked the launch of ‘100 in 100’, a College-led bid, supported by the National Apprenticeship Service and the Weston Mercury newspaper, to create 100 new Apprenticeships in 100 days. One of the key aims of the campaign is to raise awareness of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), which is available for eligible businesses who take on a young apprentice.

One of the week’s highlights was the Skills Show, which took place at the Winter Gardens on Tuesday March 4. Around 3,000 people - including many local schoolchildren turned out for the European Social Fund and Local Enterprise Partnership-funded event, which was facilitated by Weston College.

Major local employers were on hand to give advice and offer taster sessions in catering, construction, business, hair and beauty and healthcare.

Tim Walsh, 20, a Weston College apprentice working at DoubleTree at Hilton Cadbury House Hotel in Congresbury, was mixing non-alcoholic cocktails with Max Bennett, another College apprentice at the same hotel and a WorldSkills award winner.

Tim, of Winscombe, said: “I’m loving the apprenticeship and it’s given me a great deal of confidence in connecting with customers and delivering the best I can.”

Max, 19, added: “It’s great to be at the Skills Show and we’re getting a lot of interest in what we’re doing. Hopefully this might lead on to some new employees in the future.”

James Wilmot, Weston College Apprenticeship Recruitment Coordinator, said: “The popularity of this week’s events proves how strong the interest in Apprenticeships is, which is borne out by the variety of Apprenticeships we offer.

“Increasingly, it seems, young people are seeing Apprenticeships as a way to earn while they learn and this interest is helping to generate many worthwhile placements leading to greater opportunities.”