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At the end of last year, Redditch-based Renew Elec training centre opened its doors, offering a range of LCL Awards and City & Guilds electrical courses. Renew Elec stands out for several reasons. Firstly, its founders and primary trainers, Alex Tranter and Sam Lawler, are both women. Secondly, the centre was born out of TikTok.
When Alex Tranter’s videos to support electrical apprentices went viral with people clamouring to get trained in person, opening a real centre was the obvious next step. Alex explains the journey: “The rationale behind Renew Elec is simple, to open up opportunities in electrical trades to as many people as possible. We believe in inclusive, high-quality electrical education, bringing together electricians, learners, manufacturers and others who share our vision.
“Our approach is to challenge traditional routes into the sector, supporting learners who may not have thrived in a conventional college environment.
“Unlike the majority of other LCL Awards centres, we’ve done things backwards. Social media is usually something businesses explore after they’re established, whereas we got TikTok up and running first and were inspired by the interest. The egg definitely came before the chicken in our case!”
From new entrants to experienced electricians
“Prior to Renew Elec I was teaching in colleges, helping often struggling students grasp complex electrical equations. A suggestion from a pupil started the TikTok channel and it quickly became clear that a lot of trainees, and others, found this medium much easier to grasp. Bite-sized, three-minute videos seem to be the sweet spot, often with the aid of my dog!
“I was blown away by how quickly the channel grew (currently over 18,000 followers), and soon people were asking me if I delivered courses. It was then that I approached Sam (also a teacher and qualified electrician) and we got in touch with LCL Awards – they were one of our first choices; the renewable qualifications they offer were particularly appealing. Our plans for this year include adding their Level 3 qualifications in solar PV, battery storage and electric vehicle charging.
“We’re passionate about helping installers access the opportunities that the path to net zero brings, supporting electricians at every stage of their career – from new entrants to experienced electricians upskilling for the future of the industry.”
The first but hopefully not the last
“Sam and I are proud to be flying the flag for women in the industry; it’s great to be the ‘first’ female-owned training centre, but I hope that in the future this isn’t such a headline-grabbing claim. Our TikTok fan base is encouraging – 20% of our followers are female, which bucks the trend of women making up just 1% of all electrical installers.
“When Sam and I first met we’d never worked with any other female electricians. Things are clearly changing and we hope that there are many more female electricians and female-owned training centres in the future.
“Inclusivity means welcoming everyone, however; there is a massive shortfall of electricians, making it a really good career choice for many people. We want to level the playing field for electricians from all backgrounds and the positive engagement we get on TikTok is from men and women alike.”
A safe space
“Creating a safe space for learning where you don’t feel judged, where it’s ok to ask questions, with flexibility to spend more time on the bits you might find harder is crucial. The social media posts really help here, giving learners something to refer back to as many times as they like.
“We’ve only just become LCL Awards approved, but we plan to join its Inclusivity Charter, a great initiative designed to help centres become more welcoming and accessible spaces for people from all walks of life – it really aligns with our own ethos. We are already members of INclusive Worcestershire Leaders, a voluntary programme designed to enhance inclusivity in our community.
“For any female electricians out there thinking of getting into teaching, I recommend it! It’s really important that trainers are representative of a broad spectrum of society – this is key to encouraging more people from all walks of life into the centres.”
Find Renew Elec on TikTok: tiktok.com/@renewelectraining
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