As part of their centennial celebration, IDEAL Industries, a global, diversified family business designing and manufacturing superior products and tools for professional tradesmen in the electrical, wire processing, data communications, aerospace, automotive and construction industries, has announced it’s first-ever IDEAL National Championship event. The three-round competition is open to professionals, students and apprentices in the electrical field across the country as a way to honor and showcase their abilities.
IDEAL Electrical, the world leader in electrical tools and wire termination, will begin the competition with a series of preliminary events where winners are awarded with tool kits and an opportunity to compete in the semi-finals and finals at Walt Disney World® in Orlando.
The competitions kicked off in May and will run until October. Professional electrical tradesmen and students/apprentices can participate either as an individual or a team of three in one of the many first-round events being held across the country by electrical distributors, trade schools and other organizations across the nation.
Contestants will need to demonstrate both their problem-solving and physical skills across four categories: wire cutting, stripping, termination and testing through a multi-station speed test judged by fastest completion time and overall accuracy of the wire connection. The highest scores at each location will be recorded, and the top 10 professionals and top 10 students will be displayed on the IDEAL Nationals website.
Rankings will be posted online and updated daily. The top 67 professional tradesmen and top 67 students/apprentices with the fastest times (participating as individuals) will advance to the semi-finals taking place on November 11. The top five professional tradesmen and student/apprentice teams with the fastest times from the first-round events, will head straight to the finals and compete on November 12 for the IDEAL National Championship title. Those individuals advancing to the semi-finals and teams advancing directly to the finals will also receive a 13-piece tool kit (valued at $325 dollars) and travel accommodations provided by IDEAL.
Winners of the final competition have the opportunity to win cash prizes that can be up to $75,000 for the winning professional electrical tradesman; $60,000 for the winning professional electrical tradesmen team (split amongst the team); $30,000 (plus $5,000 for school) for the winning student/apprentice; and $30,000 (plus $5,000 for school) for the winning student/apprentice team (split amongst the team). Cash prizes will also be awarded to second and third place winners in each category.
Rosedale Technical College will be hosting a series of competitions at its facilities. The competitions are open to outside professionals and students interested in competing.
The next scheduled competition at Rosedale Tech is Saturday, August 27 from 10:00 – 2:00 p.m. To register for an upcoming competition, visit www.idealnationals.com.