MSP Monica Lennon has marked electrical sector trade body SELECT’s 125th anniversary with the tabling of a special motion in the Scottish Parliament.
The recognition is the latest accolade for SELECT, which has been representing the industry in Scotland since 1900 and last week launched a timeline outlining its history as the oldest electrical trade association in the world.
The motion notes that the Parliament “congratulates Scotland’s largest construction trade association, SELECT, on its 125th anniversary, and welcomes its ongoing work to help make the electrotechnical industry safer for qualified electricians and their customers.
“The Parliament understands that SELECT is the world’s oldest trade body for the electrical industry and has spent the past 125 years helping small and large businesses to prosper across Scotland, ensuring that electrical work is carried out safely and to the highest standards.
“It also believes that SELECT currently supports more than 1,200 businesses and 15,000 electricians with essential technical, business and health and safety assistance; acknowledges that SELECT has also helped to train more than 20,000 people in the last 10 years, equipping Scotland’s electricians with the skills that they need to make the transition to net zero.”
Ms Lennon – who is among the MSPs backing SELECT’s campaign for regulation of the electrical industry – also singled out the contribution of SELECT and its members to renewable technology and apprenticeships and training. Her motion states that the Parliament “believes that SELECT has helped to nurture more than 16,500 new electrical apprentices since 2000, who will help to power homes and businesses in the years to come, and understands that SELECT is a vital partner in supporting the ongoing rollout of renewable technology such as solar panels, battery storage, electric heating, heat pumps, smart homes and electric vehicles, and is at the forefront of promoting training, technical and safety procedures to help ensure a greener future for Scotland for generations to come”.
The motion comes as SELECT embarks on a year of events for its members and the wider industry, culminating in a Grand Ball at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow on 14 November, sponsored by Scolmore Group and hosted by Fred MacAulay.
Alan Wilson, SELECT MD, said, “We are most grateful to Ms Lennon for bringing the important work of SELECT to the attention of her fellow parliamentarians and putting its achievements on the official record. The events of this year will serve to highlight the comprehensive way that SELECT carries out its responsibility to further the aims of the profession which is so vital to the future as we transition to a net zero society.
“The anniversary also allows us to show how our organisation has been serving the electrical sector in Scotland through unprecedented changes in society and times of both need and prosperity and will continue to represent the interests of everyone in the profession.”
