Electrocomponents : BrightSparks initiative to celebrate the UK’s brightest young engineers

RS continues its long-term mission to inspire the next generation of engineers; launches this year's search for the UK's most talented young electronics engineers

London, UK, 19 October 2018 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), a global multi-channel distributor, has announced it is partnering Electronics Weekly for the third year in succession to launch the EW BrightSparks initiative, which aims to find and highlight the brightest and most talented young electronics engineers in the UK today.

As in previous years, BrightSparks 2019 is not limited to just one winner but is designed to celebrate a group of young engineers: they could already be making a difference in the first years of their working life, or possibly are still in education but are showing great promise toward becoming the next generation of leaders and innovators in the electronics industry of the future.

BrightSparks 2019 is open now to nominees who are based in the UK and are aged between 16 and 30; nominations can be submitted via www.electronicsweekly.com/brightsparks/. The closing date is Friday 15th February 2019; entries will be accepted from the nominee or from a third party.

Nominations will be reviewed and shortlisted by a panel of professionals from across the electronics industry, including: Steph McGovern, Journalist and TV Presenter; Lindsley Ruth, CEO Electrocomponents; Clive Couldwell, Chief Editor at Electronics Weekly; David Lakin, Head of Education 5-19 at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET); Paul Hide, Director Market Engagement & Membership, techUK; and Graham Curren, CEO Sondrel. Further judges will be announced in the coming weeks and months.

The winning entrants will be announced on Wednesday 1st May 2019.

This year the programme is being supported once again by the IET, and by leading manufacturers HARTING and TE Connectivity.

'The UK, and the world, needs innovation from our industry more than ever to support an increasingly global economy. But there is a critical skills gap, and as a major player in electronics we have a responsibility in helping to nurture the engineers of tomorrow,' said Lindsley Ruth, CEO at Electrocomponents. 'We look to achieve this through a wide range of initiatives, and consequently we are continuing to support the EW BrightSparks programme. We strongly believe that by celebrating the achievements of young engineering role models we can help motivate and inspire other young people to choose STEM subjects in their education, to become our industry's next generation of innovators.'

Further information on BrightSparks 2019 is available on the RS website at https://uk.rs-online.com, search BrightSparks.

QUOTES
Steph McGovern, Journalist and TV Presenter: 'As someone who spends my life visiting businesses around the country, I have seen first hand the challenges they face in finding the right people. We have a responsibility to show young people what is out there and in particular get them excited about the careers they could have in engineering, science, technology and business. Initiatives like BrightSparks are absolutely crucial to show them how science and technology will help them to make a real difference in the world and have a load of fun too.'

David Lakin, Head of Education 5-19, IET: 'Recognising and celebrating STEM achievements is incredibly important in inspiring the next generation of engineers and technicians. Encouraging more young people to study STEM-related subjects in both schools and universities so they can pursue a career in engineering is something the IET is very passionate about, which is why we are delighted to support the EW BrightSparks Awards again this year.'

Peter Hannon, Managing Director, HARTING, UK: 'We are delighted to be taking part in this year's BrightSparks programme to have the opportunity to engage with some of the UK's most inspirational young engineers. We believe it will excite young people and hopefully will encourage them to invest their future in STEM subjects and their careers in the development of next-generation technologies and products that will have a significant impact in our everyday lives, right across the world.'

Clive Couldwell, Group Editor, Electronics Weekly: 'The UK has one of the world's most influential, innovative and dynamic electronics and embedded software industries - with a skills base and global influence envied by many. This is to be celebrated, and I regard it as a privilege to be involved in a programme which highlights the achievements of the most talented young people in the electronics world.'

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About RS Components
RS Components, Allied Electronics & Automation and IESA Ltd are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, a global multi-channel distributor. We offer more than 500,000 industrial and electronics products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, and provide a wide range of value-added services to over one million customers. With operations in 32 countries, we ship more than 50,000 parcels a day.

Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2018 had revenues of £1.71bn.

For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-online.com.

Editorial Contact:
Aakriti Kaushik
PR Manager - EMEA
RS Components
[e-mail]
[phone]

PR Agency Contact:
Janice Fenton
Account Director
Publitek Technology PR
[e-mail]
[phone]

Further information is available via these links:
Twitter: @RSComponents; @designsparkRS
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components

Electrocomponents plc
www.electrocomponents.com
RS Components
www.rs-online.com
DesignSpark
www.rs-online.com/designspark