SELECT, Trade Association for Electrical Contracting Industry Scotland, was proud to welcome its continental counterparts to Edinburgh recently as they hosted a three-day conference for members of EuropeOn and GCP Europe
SELECT continued its long tradition of international collaboration and cooperation rolling out the red carpet for the European electrical contractors’ association, EuropeOn. They were honoured to host a three-day get-together for the association’s secretariat, along with a delegation from GCP Europe, the voice of building services engineering, mechanical contractors, plumbers and HVAC installers.
SELECT President Mike Stark made the opening speech to more than 30 figures from across the continent at a special dinner at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Royal Mile on Wednesday 21 May, including EuropeOn President Kimmo Hallamaa. Gifts were also presented to SELECT Managing Director Alan Wilson by EuropeOn Secretary General Julie Beaufils to thank the association for its hospitality.
The three-day trip provided an excellent opportunity to share updates, discuss the future of industry and exchange ideas on the state of the electrical and mechanical installation sector across Europe. Among the many highlights was a presentation by the Federation of Installers’ Guilds of Catalonia (FEGiCAT), who updated delegates about the blackout in Spain and Portugal and the energy security implications for the sector.
Delegates also received an update on electrical growth futures from Professor Sean Smith of the University of Edinburgh, as well as a discussion about current sector challenges from Emma Church of Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST)
EuropeOn also held a hybrid meeting during which it gathered valuable feedback from its members about the EU-funded RESkill4NetZero project, which aims to create a clearly defined skills strategy for specific high-demand jobs across the renewables sector.
As well as several productive days of meetings, SELECT’s visitors also enjoyed a guided walking tour along the Royal Mile before being piped up to The Scotch Whisky Experience, where they sampled a few drams of Scotland’s national drink.
Alan said: “The conference was a huge success and we were delighted that our European neighbours could help us celebrate our 125th anniversary.”
Julie Beaufils said: “I would like to thank everyone at SELECT for their warm welcome and for organising such a well-structured and engaging programme of events. The conference provided an invaluable insight into the Scottish electrical sector and helped us discover more about the work of SELECT and its Members.”
