Stroma Certification Scheme Stroma

[Hellmooth]

Decided to look into going with Stroma, had a look online and decided to fill out the application, I thought it would just be basic details to allow someone to call me and have a chat etc.........I filled it out and all I got was an invoice asking me to pay £288 before anything could proceed! Is this the way they work? Surely someone should call and ask my details and qualifications etc to see if I am suitable?!

 

[Octopus]

I joined Stroma this year - I called them and then exchanged a few emails to ensure things went smoothly.

Is this your "1st" scheme, or are you leaving another one?

 

[Welchyboy1]

Im also seriously considering binning the nic this year for stroma, ill be switching schemes are they ok to do that? I know some of the others do

is there any extra costs to be assessed for commercial work and eicrs too or is it still £288?

 

[Hellmooth]

This is my first time!

Thought it would be a bit more personal, although I know it's all about money, I still expected someone to call and try and sell me it lol, not just send an invoice saying pay here!

 

[Octopus]

Are Stroma "active" north of the border? I see you are in Scotland.

 

[Dave OCD]

Are Stroma "active" north of the border? I see you are in Scotland.

They are now.

 

[Guest77]

decided to look into going with stroma, had a look online and decided to fill out the application, i thought it would just be basic details to allow someone to call me and have a chat etc.........i filled it out and all i got was an invoice asking me to pay £288 before anything could proceed! Is this the way they work? Surely someone should call and ask my details and qualifications etc to see if i am suitable?!

,who??

 

[Hellmooth]

Cheapest of the scams! Crazy way to deal with new customers!

 

[amckay]

Once you've paid they aren't going to reject an application surely!?

 

[telectrix]

what we need is a boycott of all these money grabbing scams. no use a few of us complaining. all sparks should refuse to join. tell LABC to do one as regards notification unless they will accept a cert. provided by a qualified electrician, not some Electrical Trainee. who's paid a scam.

 

[tomspark93]

What do you do though? Just send them a copy of the relevant EIC and hope they issue a part p certificate?

 

[Hellmooth]

I've always been against them, I've spoken to building control where I am and they don't care about General Electrical work as long as it isn't changing the fabric of the building, that was the guys words! As long as the certificates and calibrations of test equipment are there with qualifications to back it up and insurances in place, he said himself what are they going to do about it, and why would they get involved anyway?

The reason I am looking to join is to do with work I am picking up requiring it, have started tendering for work with an architect and they look for it, also spoke subby work I was looking at was asking for it!

I'm not going to reply to the email I will wait for a call, just shows how bad they really are!

And no they wouldn't knock you back after the money is paid, sad really though that I have to pay money up front when I haven't even spoken to anyone or been told what is involved!

 

[Hellmooth]

I'm in Scotland as well so no Part Pash

 

[sparksburnout]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the concept of the schemes. The problem is how the criteria for admission to them is implemented, and, from what I can gather, how they deal with applicants who fall short and should not really be allowed in. I moved over to Stroma this year and to be honest the assessor (a contractor) was an idiot. We had quite a difference of opinion on many issues, and I was pretty close to booting him out at a couple of points. He went away with a couple of "non conformities" and I was fired up for defending my corner and having what I thought might be a barney with them, but nothing came of it and I was just sent all the documentation. Having said that, he did ask some fairly searching questions (as did my previous NAPIT guy), and I can' really see how someone with no previous electrical experience who has been on a 5 week course could possibly get through the assessment. Are these Electrical Trainee a reality or just a figment of some people's imagination? I can't imagine how anyone who does not have the knowledge or confidence to do the job properly could actually cut it out in the real world, but this might be just the way I try to approach things, I guess some people don't give a t**s? Most of my work is now obtained by word of mouth and repeat customers, I hardly advertise at all. Surely anyone who had only done a 5 week course would not survive??

 

[multimick]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the concept of the schemes. The problem is how the criteria for admission to them is implemented, and, from what I can gather, how they deal with applicants who fall short and should not really be allowed in. I moved over to Stroma this year and to be honest the assessor (a contractor) was an idiot. We had quite a difference of opinion on many issues, and I was pretty close to booting him out at a couple of points. He went away with a couple of "non conformities" and I was fired up for defending my corner and having what I thought might be a barney with them, but nothing came of it and I was just sent all the documentation. Having said that, he did ask some fairly searching questions (as did my previous NAPIT guy), and I can' really see how someone with no previous electrical experience who has been on a 5 week course could possibly get through the assessment. Are these Electrical Trainee a reality or just a figment of some people's imagination? I can't imagine how anyone who does not have the knowledge or confidence to do the job properly could actually cut it out in the real world, but this might be just the way I try to approach things, I guess some people don't give a t**s? Most of my work is now obtained by word of mouth and repeat customers, I hardly advertise at all. Surely anyone who had only done a 5 week course would not survive??

Here we go again i am based in west lancs incorporating wigan council as well .i am now not in a scheme ,all I do is issue a iet model form ,not a problem 9 times out of 10. If they ask if I am in a scheme I just email my quals and they always accept it this way

 

[Paul.M]

Here we go again i am based in west lancs incorporating wigan council as well .i am now not in a scheme ,all I do is issue a iet model form ,not a problem 9 times out of 10. If they ask if I am in a scheme I just email my quals and they always accept it this way

^^ and that is the way it should be for everybody.... Amen.

 

[Hellmooth]

Here we go again i am based in west lancs incorporating wigan council as well .i am now not in a scheme ,all I do is issue a iet model form ,not a problem 9 times out of 10. If they ask if I am in a scheme I just email my quals and they always accept it this way

I have always just certified my work, I even do work for estate agents and they don't ask about schemes, the work needs to be done to a standard that is safe and fit for purpose, schemes do not make anything safe or fit for purpose, pretty much anyone can join, they can notify work that isn't up to scratch or doesn't meet regulations but it is still deemed to be the proper way?

 

[sparksburnout]

Here we go again i am based in west lancs incorporating wigan council as well .i am now not in a scheme ,all I do is issue a iet model form ,not a problem 9 times out of 10. If they ask if I am in a scheme I just email my quals and they always accept it this way

but that does not stop any Tom dick or Harry doing the same does it? The people at the council don't know one qualification from the next, so you could have any untrained person sending in an IET form full of crap to a pencil squeezer in the council, that is why the schemes were introduced. It is the way people are admitted to them that is the problem. They should be strict on their admission policies and then charge another £200 for a re-application, so they weed out the people who should not be admitted in the first place. I have heard of guys who have not even had the right quals who have been let in on the basis that they "attend to the non conformity in due course", that's the problem.

 

[multimick]

but that does not stop any Tom dick or Harry doing the same does it? The people at the council don't know one qualification from the next, so you could have any untrained person sending in an IET form full of crap to a pencil squeezer in the council, that is why the schemes were introduced. It is the way people are admitted to them that is the problem. They should be strict on their admission policies and then charge another £200 for a re-application, so they weed out the people who should not be admitted in the first place. I have heard of guys who have not even had the right quals who have been let in on the basis that they "attend to the non conformity in due course", that's the problem.

I always find that BC DO understand qualifications ,on the rare occasion there is a problem my 2391 lets me get away with it

 

[Andy78]

I'm clearly missing something here, if you are in Scotland where there is no part p, why do you need to join a part p scheme, and why would an architect require you to ?

 

[Spoon]

what we need is a boycott of all these money grabbing scams. no use a few of us complaining. all sparks should refuse to join. tell LABC to do one as regards notification unless they will accept a cert. provided by a qualified electrician, not some Electrical Trainee. who's paid a scam.

But then the rich won't get richer...... They will be sad......

 

[Hellmooth]

I'm clearly missing something here, if you are in Scotland where there is no part p, why do you need to join a part p scheme, and why would an architect require you to ?

Good point, but certain things still need notified!

 

[Andy78]

Good point, but certain things still need notified!

Excuse my ignorance of the way things work in Scotland, but I'm still a bit lost with that one. What needs notifying ?

 

[telectrix]

most scotsmen need notifying, or is it certifying?

 

[Dcf]

Work requiring a building warrant requires certification in Scotland.
the two schemes that run up here are select ( Scottish ECA) and the niceic.
you can also submit certification "by enquiry"
meaning a copy of your grade card and quals , a calibration certificate for your testers and a 7671 form for whatever work is carried out.
some labc do not accept this though .
if you are in a scheme and also a registered certifier of construction(£50 ex vat per year on top of your fees btw)
you buy certificates of construction online for £5.00 ex vat each
these are logged on line along with a checklist to the sbsc.
you also give the customer your 7671 and fire alarm / em lighting certification along with the certificate of construction.
Dont bother joining stroma as the scheme is not part of the sbsc .

 

[Hellmooth]

Maybe it's my ignorance that should be excused lol!

The architect had just asked if I was with a scheme, I told him I was looking into joining one, and a company I was looking at doing subby work for requires me to be part of a competent persons scheme, I just thought if I joined Stroma it would save hassle!

They tried to call me twice yesterday but didn't realise it was them until I checked the number later, will speak to them and ask why I should join.

 

[peterinreading]

I got my Part-P through STROMA two weeks ago and the process went very smoothly. As far as I could see 50% of the assessment was on the paper-work and 50% on-site assessment. You have to pay the first fee up front as that is the charge for the assessment. If you have all the paperwork and you know what you are doing you shouldn't have any problem.

 

[Hellmooth]

I got my Part-P through STROMA two weeks ago and the process went very smoothly. As far as I could see 50% of the assessment was on the paper-work and 50% on-site assessment. You have to pay the first fee up front as that is the charge for the assessment. If you have all the paperwork and you know what you are doing you shouldn't have any problem.

They haven't told me what paperwork etc is required, that's what I would have expected before asking for money.

 

[peterinreading]

Paperwork required at my assessment (in England) as far as I can remember it:

copies of regs docs: 17th edition, OSG, GN3, Elec at work 1989, Part P
certificates of qualifications: NVQ level 3, 17th edition
equipment calibration certificates
insurance
risk assessment example
customer complaints procedure
evidence of a filing system
H&S policy
completed testing forms for the assessment site
copies of contracts with subcontractors (if any)

 

[sparksburnout]

I would like to pick up on the paperwork side of things here, as I must say the risk assessment was one of the many contentious points raised during my assessment. Now, I only do domestic work, yet I was asked to provide a sample RA. My previous scheme (NAPIT)had not asked for one, and to honest I never use them, I can't see the point in a domestic situation. We ended up having quite a, shall we say, vigorous argument about this. He insisted that a RA was submitted and signed by the customer before starting work, I told him I thought that was unnecessary and frankly a bit stupid in most domestic circumstances. I asked him exactly what he thought should be in it, and how it would work in reality, to which he didn't have much of an answer. I then asked him if he was sure he wasn't getting mixed up with having an RA for your own employees if you have 5 or more, which I don't. He went away with a comment about requiring to see them next year. So, I then emailed several people at Stroma, on two occasions, to ask what exactly they required and had they got a sample RA, and why it was needed anyway. I never got a reply, which is typical. I will use this as my argument next time, if there is one. Hopefully the assessor won't be a numbskull next time.........

 

[Octopus]

I would like to pick up on the paperwork side of things here, as I must say the risk assessment was one of the many contentious points raised during my assessment. Now, I only do domestic work, yet I was asked to provide a sample RA. My previous scheme (NAPIT)had not asked for one, and to honest I never use them, I can't see the point in a domestic situation. We ended up having quite a, shall we say, vigorous argument about this. He insisted that a RA was submitted and signed by the customer before starting work, I told him I thought that was unnecessary and frankly a bit stupid in most domestic circumstances. I asked him exactly what he thought should be in it, and how it would work in reality, to which he didn't have much of an answer. I then asked him if he was sure he wasn't getting mixed up with having an RA for your own employees if you have 5 or more, which I don't. He went away with a comment about requiring to see them next year. So, I then emailed several people at Stroma, on two occasions, to ask what exactly they required and had they got a sample RA, and why it was needed anyway. I never got a reply, which is typical. I will use this as my argument next time, if there is one. Hopefully the assessor won't be a numbskull next time.........

What a muppet....

 

[Midwest]

I would like to pick up on the paperwork side of things here, as I must say the risk assessment was one of the many contentious points raised during my assessment. Now, I only do domestic work, yet I was asked to provide a sample RA. My previous scheme (NAPIT)had not asked for one, and to honest I never use them, I can't see the point in a domestic situation.................................... I will use this as my argument next time, if there is one. Hopefully the assessor won't be a numbskull next time.........

Elecsa have a draft copy document for H&S and RA as a download, which you just amend and add your details My assessor asks for this document every time, but never reads it. The idea being you complete an RA for every job, I don't. Sure Stroma must have something similar. You might also need to have a look at 'Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015, and see if that affects you.

 

[sparksburnout]

What a muppet....

You should have heard some of the other b******s he came out with if you think thats bad!!

 

[Andy78]

You should have heard some of the other b******s he came out with if you think thats bad!!

He's a scheme assessor. That's his job.