- Coming up on this week's news. An electrician who wrongly claimed 45,000 pounds in COVID cash from the government during the pandemic learns his fate. We hear why a man has been an electrical apprentice for eight years and how a messy van could land you with 100 pound fine and three points on your licence. Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly" in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Whether you're listening in the van onsite or down at the wholesale counter. I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And as always, if you think you spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. An electrician who falsely claimed COVID cash of 45,000 pounds from the government's loan scheme has been slapped with 11 years of tough restrictions. Andrei Adrian Moise of Mitcham, Surrey claimed the bounce back money during the pandemic, despite no longer being self-employed. Moise will now be subject to 11 years of bankruptcy restrictions, which means he cannot act as a director of a limited company without the court's permission or borrow more than 500 pounds without disclosing his restrictions. He received the funds in July 2020 to support his role as a self-employed electrician. Under the rules of the scheme, self-employed people had to have been working as a sole trader on the 1st of March 2020 to be eligible for a loan. However, when Moise became bankrupt in 2023, the official receiver discovered that he had ceased being self-employed in 2016. Bounce back loans were supposed to be used for the economic benefit of the business, but Moise used the money for other purposes, including some of which was paid to third parties. Mitzi Mace, Official Receiver at the Insolvency Service said that Moise had abused a government scheme which was designed to help businesses survive one of the toughest times for traders in recent history. Moise will also be barred from roles such as school governor, charity trustee, or certain posts in public sector organisations. The restrictions usually last for 12 months, but because Moise was dishonest, the business secretary has accepted an 11 year bankruptcy restrictions undertaking from Moise. In other news, Britain's longest serving electrical apprentice has been explaining why he has been studying for eight years and still hasn't got his City and Guild's qualification. Callum Aitken, who took up a four-year apprenticeship at MidKent College in 2016 at the age of 16 says he has carried out all the work that's required of him. He says he feels forgotten by the system and his dream of landing a full-time job as a qualified electrician seems as far away as ever. Aitken has attended the Gillingham campus for weekly theory classes and workshops alongside working on the job under the supervision of his employer in Sittingbourne. But Aitken's said he had been dogged by hurdles on the way. These include a lack of assessors to mark and sign off his work. Tutors leaving suddenly and his coursework being misplaced. The lack of qualification has hit the 24-year-old in the pocket as he earns a fraction of what a fully trained electrician takes home, which could be up to 360 pounds a day. He told his local newspaper KentOnline that his boss had been supportive and he earns above the apprentice wage at about 80 pounds a day. But he says that at the age of 24, he would be expecting perhaps to be running his own business by now. He can't afford to rent a place of his own or go out with his friends very often. To compound matters, the City and Guilds, which awards the MVQ diploma, is removing the course next summer and students are being asked to submit all knowledge and competency units by the end of next month for marking. Aitken says this is an impossible deadline as there are many tasks that have not been assigned to him. He points out that of the 20 or so students who embarked on the City and Guilds Level 3 NVQ deployment course when he did, only a handful remain. Aitken says he doesn't have the 9,000 pounds it would cost to complete the diploma privately. His boss, Charl Alberts, director of First Fix Electrics in Sittingbourne, has complained to the college on his behalf on numerous occasions. Alberts says he knows Aitken is competent and trustworthy, but because he's not qualified, the company has to supervise him and sign off his work. A spokesman from MidKent College acknowledged delays but said they were working to hard deadlines beyond their control. He said that his assessor is confident that if he maintains his current pace and remains engaged, he should complete his portfolio by June. In time to be awarded his qualification in due course. We'll keep you posted of Aitken's progress. All the best, Callum. We really do hope that you get sorted. The likely end of Callum Aitken's apprenticeship in standard British electrical wiring coincides with the arrival on these shores of an American smart home guru who has a stark message for the electrical trade. Tim Miscovich, a top name in the global building controls industry will tell delegates at a technology conference in the Midlands that UK commercial properties are stuck in the dark ages. Miscovich's company, smartengine, has put intelligence tech into lots of buildings in the United States, including those of Google, Facebook, Apple, and PWC. He says that by contrast, the UK's take up of the technology has been disappointingly slow. This, he believes, is due to nebulous cultural attitudes toward building methods, risk taking, and spending. The UK has made some strides, he says, but it hasn't got there yet. Despite the fact that technology has been readily available for the last 10 years. Miscovich equates it to the conversion from analogue phones to voice over internet phones. He says that some people think that because Americans drive around in big trucks, that they're free and easy when it comes to energy use, but they couldn't be more wrong, says Miscovich. Because reducing energy waste is good business and businesses are all about doing things that make sense. If you want to hear the industry leader deliver his message in person and why wouldn't you? I've popped the link to the Free Workplace Technology Conference in the show notes. In product news, Zumtobel be has introduced a direct current version of its bestselling TECTON continuous-row lighting system. It's believed to be the first time a major lighting brand has produced a DC variant. It's aimed at commercial, industrial, and retail installations where renewable power is generated on site. Using direct current avoids all the losses associated with converting power to AC and then back again to DC. The company reckons the new TECTON DC can add an extra 4% energy saving. However, as every electrician knows, fluctuations in the main's voltage with renewable sources can never be eliminated. Zumtobel says TECTON DC can be fitted with a battery buffer and an emergency light function to ensure continuous illumination whatever happens. Like the alternating current version, TECTON DC also offers the option of power tapping along the entire length of the continuous row. You can even change existing TECTON installations to DC by replacing the ballast with a DC-compatible driver, but leaving the track in place. TECTON is popular in factories as it can be continued to over 50 metres, all powered from one connection. Still on lighting, a Scottish company has unveiled a 600 by 600 ceiling panel. It's designed to be reused after its first installation. EGG Lighting says its robust, luminaire has optics LED module and control gear, which are all designed to be easily interchangeable and swappable. The light is called the DfR or designed for remanufacturing and it's aimed at eco-conscious clients. It has a rated lifetime of 50,000 hours and comes with a five-year warranty. EGG says electricians can send the light back to the factory at the end of its first installation. Finally, a warning is going out to electricians with messy vans that they could be in line for a 100 pound fine and three points on their licence. That's because in an accident, police will prosecute if they feel that the mess is a hazard which contributed to the collision. The insurer may even deem the insurance invalid, given that the accident was preventable and came about as a result of a lack of care from the driver. Motoring experts at quote zone say that loose objects such as conduit or cable tray and other assorted flotsam can become lethal when caught up in an accident. They point to research which suggests that a two kilo object could have as much force as a 100 kilo object when travelling at 55 miles per hour. It's just one of a list of mistakes that van drivers make with insurance. I'll pop the full list in the show notes. And finally, a reminder that we're in the market for your stories, your projects, and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community. In the month of June, we're focused on emergency lighting, power tools, and training. So send us pictures of your vans or instals or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier. Now just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created that Swiss Army knife of solar inverters along with all weather batteries, very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. Up next, for all your circuit protection needs. They're like having an Italian Star Stryker and your premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. And if you want to get smart, but dunno where to start, relax, whether you need whole home entertainment, commercial grade infrastructure, or anything in between, Snap One offers countless solutions for connected homes and businesses. Now are you looking for easy to instal modular lighting solutions and emergency lighting products designed by specialists in the industry? Well, they're ready and waiting to light up your life. It's Kosnic. And with over 35 years of manufacturing and supplying components to the electrical industry, from connectors to terminal blocks through glands and enclosures, you could say they're making all the right connections. It's Hylec-APL. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. And if you want a lesson on how to reinvent a commodity product into a stylish but discreet feature, then look no further than D-line trunking. If you want to get your cables organised and tidied away in any situation, they've got a solution. With an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart. It's Scame. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all those correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition. The words were ambiguity and refrigerator, and apparently, I'm just too good at this now because absolutely no one got them both. Not a single person on any platform. Hopefully, this week's words are a little weirder and will have stuck out like a sore thumb. Anyway, it saved me a trip to the post office, which is nice or more accurately, it's one less parcel to post when they eventually get to send a chunk of prizes out. Anyway, thanks for listening to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly" in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening, and until next time. Have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm.