Master Electricians Otago president Matt Munro, of Dunedin, said 20 apprentice electricians competed in the Otago heats of the Master Electricians New Zealand apprentice challenge at Etco in Jutland St.
Otago was the second in a series of heats across New Zealand.
The first heat was in Southland on Monday.
In the competition, which was in its 16th year, the electricians competed in two divisions, domestic/commercial and industrial.
After the heats, the top five electricians in both divisions would be invited to compete in the three-day final in Auckland from August 22.
The champions of both sections would represent New Zealand at the WorldSkills International Competition next year.
The 18 electricians competing in the domestic and commercial section yesterday completed four modules - wiring lights and switches, finding faults in an installation, building switchboards and working with conduits.
Ben Alden won the domestic/commercial division yesterday from Regan Bray, while industrial division honours went to Jordan Trainor ahead of Matthew Craig.
About 120 electrical apprentices worked in Otago, Mr Munro said.
A challenge for the industry was that experienced electricians were retiring, or leaving the industry, after ''having enough of crawling under floors and in ceilings''.
''It all very well having all these guys coming through but we've got nobody to train them.''
Every electrician competing yesterday was a man but women made great electricians, he said.
'You don't need to be big, strong and burly to do it.''
The ''technical side'' of the job was where women excelled because they were often more methodical than men.
He forecast more women working in industry in the future.
''If they've got the goods, they've got the job.''
