P & L Sound & Lighting offer Electrical students illuminating workshop

Electrical Installation students and Apprentices recently took part in a workshop with entertainment specialists, Phil Laycock & Jon Winstanley from P & L Sound & Lighting, giving them an insight into the range of different career pathways available once you are become a qualified Electrician.

Programme Leader for Electrical Installation, Simon Quince, explained why the workshop was important for the Level 2 & 3 students and Apprentices: “Throughout the Electrical Installation courses and Apprenticeships at Scarborough TEC we cover a range of topics including domestic lighting, domestic installations right through to commercial installations like fire and intruder alarm systems.

“I asked Phil & Jon to come in and talk about specialist lighting and other avenues you can take in Scarborough as Electricians. I’ve been lucky throughout my career to work on a vast amount of installations; from football grounds to Canary Wharf and the Home Office in London.

“I want to show the students that it’s up to them to lead their own destiny and see where it takes them. It’s important for them to see that the industry isn’t just about changing a socket or a light fitting, there are so many different options.”

Phil Laycock, who owns P & L Sound & Lighting, added: “We’ve explained how we started as Electricians but progressed into the entertainment side.  We’ve taken the students and Apprentices through onsite power for generators, how we distribute that power towards the stages, balance the loads of the generators for the lighting, sound and audio-visual and then moved on to festivals and theatres.

“We’ve then show the students how the lighting system works in the performance studio and demonstrated some of our own equipment.”

Jon Winstanley, 44, is working for P & L Sound & Lighting while in the fourth year of an Electrical Apprenticeship at Scarborough TEC.  Jon said:

“Because I’d worked for Phil for a few years we both decided I should get Electrically qualified.  I contact the College and I knew an Apprenticeship was the best option as it fitted around my work schedule.

“I’ve learnt a lot. I had a foundation knowledge before but now I understand why we do things, the reasons why we do it an understanding of all aspects of the industry.”