A question for domestic installers who are with Stroma......

[HappyHippyDad]

I am a domestic installer. I have done the domestic installers course only, so do not have level 3. I have been with Stroma for perhaps 7 years and as most of you know Napit are taking over the competent person scheme. This year I was given the choice of either staying with Stroma for one last year or moving over to Napit now, I choose to stay with Stroma as they were still cheaper.

My question is, have any domestic installers moved over to Napit (or indeed any other scheme) since September 2020? The reason for that date is that new requirements for joining a scheme came in to date then and they now require you to have level 3. Did any one have any problems with the switch?

I have checked the new ELECTROTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT SPECIFICATION FOR USE BY CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION BODIES (EAS) and on page 28 it does say the following:

"It is acceptable to permit new applications from an existing or previously recognised Qualified Supervisor, provided that they have been a Qualified Supervisor within two years of the application; and can provide a letter or similar evidence from the previous scheme provider confirming their Qualified Supervisor status and the scope of work previously assessed, which must be equal to the scope of work being applied for.
An applicant Qualified Supervisor will need to have at least 2 years’ evidence of responsibility for the technical standard of electrotechnical work and evidence of ongoing Continuous Professional Development."

Just wondering if anyone has any first hand knowledge of this or simply any more information about it all? I can't imagine I will be refused next year, but it is a slight concern

Cheers all..

 

[Mike Johnson]

If waffle is your take on CPD then what hope is there for Electricians being taken seriously as professionals in the future, as a Mentor you should be embracing the requirements of the Institutes and Associations and guiding the young in the correct direction, not bucking their requirements, you can't change them so embrace them.

Shame this is not on the Arms as it is sending the wrong message to those outside.

 

[UNG]

If waffle is your take on CPD then what hope is there for Electricians being taken seriously as professionals in the future, as a Mentor you should be embracing the requirements of the Institutes and Associations and guiding the young in the correct direction, not bucking their requirements, you can't change them so embrace them.

Shame this is not on the Arms as it is sending the wrong message to those outside.

When so many training standards have been lowered what is the point of CPD other than to play catch up

 

[HappyHippyDad]

One of the reasons I changed career from a nurse to being an electrician, or rather a domestic installer, was due to all the CPD that came with being a nurse. I can absolutely say 95% of it was such irrelevant nonsense. The healthcare trust HAD to be seen to be offering it though as they use it in their statistics to show how well they train their staff. It was mandatory, we had to do it all, we had files upon files of different mandatory learning we had to complete. So, so, so many different bits of so called CPD and the vast majority was just absolute rubbish, with little or no bearing on the job. It was so demoralising to have to complete it when I just wanted to look after my patients.

Think about how silly we think completing the 18Ed is, perhaps every 3-4 years. We had to complete similar things perhaps every 2 weeks on average, and I am not exaggerating.

I think CPD could be such a good thing if it didn't get lost in all the bureaucracy and politics.

Being on this forum and discussing changes in regulations and basically all aspects of electrics is much more useful and rewarding than any CPD I have done.

 

[stevethesparks]

"sign up with say Schneider for instance or Aico etc. you can collect those points easily"

"Agree, it's not difficult to get CPD points if you understand the process"

Sounds like collecting Green Shield Stamps

 

[Mike Johnson]

Being on this forum and discussing changes in regulations and basically all aspects of electrics is much more useful and rewarding than any CPD I have done.

Exactly my earlier point that a professional body may assess being on this site and interacting with other electricians could contribute towards any CPD requirement needed to remain a member of said body.

However I do understand your frustration with what is the over bearing management in the health service which seems to be the way all hospitals are going, but most professional bodies are run by people who have been on the ground in the said profession and have not just left University with a degree in management with no idea whet the workforce have to contend with or do.

 

[Mike Johnson]

One of the reasons I changed career from a nurse to being an electrician, or rather a domestic installer, was due to all the CPD that came with being a nurse. I can absolutely say 95% of it was such irrelevant nonsense. The healthcare trust HAD to be seen to be offering it though as they use it in their statistics to show how well they train their staff.

More to do with the Healthcare trust rather than your professional body, Royal College of Nursing perhaps? The trust has to show how well they are abiding by the Government guide lines to continue getting their funding, it is a sad fact that the system is open to such abuse, there are failings in all systems of training and development but I think the NHST is an extreme example as I am sure there are others, but the real value of CPD as a vehicle to improve standards within any industry that has a large workforce that work autonomously can not be overlooked.

 

[teddyng]

One of the reasons I changed career from a nurse to being an electrician, or rather a domestic installer, was due to all the CPD that came with being a nurse. I can absolutely say 95% of it was such irrelevant nonsense. The healthcare trust HAD to be seen to be offering it though as they use it in their statistics to show how well they train their staff. It was mandatory, we had to do it all, we had files upon files of different mandatory learning we had to complete. So, so, so many different bits of so called CPD and the vast majority was just absolute rubbish, with little or no bearing on the job. It was so demoralising to have to complete it when I just wanted to look after my patients.

Think about how silly we think completing the 18Ed is, perhaps every 3-4 years. We had to complete similar things perhaps every 2 weeks on average, and I am not exaggerating.

I think CPD could be such a good thing if it didn't get lost in all the bureaucracy and politics.

Being on this forum and discussing changes in regulations and basically all aspects of electrics is much more useful and rewarding than any CPD I have done.

I do some ambulance work and yeah some of the mandatory learning is crap, can't begin to imagine how much worse it can be for an HCP.

Anyway, I only recently registered with NAPIT with a domestic installers course and 18th edition so I don't think you will have a problem.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I worked as an electrical inspector for the local Council for 24 years so I'm very familiar with this, it always seemed to me that some staff became so focussed on CPD and doing as many irrelevant courses as possible that they totally lost track of actually doing the jobs that they were paid to do.
Scam membership takes more than enough of my time and money already without another layer of waffle on t

More to do with the Healthcare trust rather than your professional body, Royal College of Nursing perhaps? The trust has to show how well they are abiding by the Government guide lines to continue getting their funding, it is a sad fact that the system is open to such abuse, there are failings in all systems of training and development but I think the NHST is an extreme example as I am sure there are others, but the real value of CPD as a vehicle to improve standards within any industry that has a large workforce that work autonomously can not be overlooked.

I wouldn't feel right naming the Trust Mike. No, it wasn't the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The RCN is a nursing union that nurses can choose to join or not, they were very good.

 

[Dave OCD]

If waffle is your take on CPD then what hope is there for Electricians being taken seriously as professionals in the future, as a Mentor you should be embracing the requirements of the Institutes and Associations and guiding the young in the correct direction, not bucking their requirements, you can't change them so embrace them.

Shame this is not on the Arms as it is sending the wrong message to those outside.

Mike, if there's a risk of Electricians not being taken seriously as professionals in the future it'll be because of over pricing, shoddy workmanship and the 'that'll do' attitude ,this in turn creates distrust and much bodged and unsafe DIY electrical work which is a real concern to me.
I work very hard to undo this often found public perception. I've never,ever heard a customer say 'He did a lovely job at a very fair price but he didn't have many CPD points so we won't be using him again' . I stand by my opinion, much of it is irrelevant nonsense.

 

[Mike Johnson]

CPD is between you and your professional institute it should never come to the notice or scope of your clients, the miss conception of what CPD is and should achieve still remains, but I agree much of what has been said by others on here concerning CPD is irrelevant nonsense, at least I have an excuse for being a dinosaur. ?

 

[Pretty Mouth]

Continuous Professional Development. Shouldn't that be Continual Professional Development?

 

[cloverman]

On the point on nurses - They have to be seen in keeping uptodate with new delevelopments etc., in order to maintain their right to practice as a Qualfied Nurse. And quite rightly so !
Some of the companies I know use to do Toolbox talks, similar to what we do on here i suppose, Whereby we discuss how to carry out a specific task or pose a question on something you had done during the working day !
I agree that some of CPD's may come across meanless to the more experienced guys, but there are others who use this forum as a bit like a teaching colledge to gain knowledge and skills within their field, afterall no one knows it all. As is often said on here "every day is a learning day"

 

[Dave OCD]

Well I'm just too busy doing real work in the real world to get bogged down by even more red tape. However I keep right up to date with regulations, innovations and technology associated with the trade as well so perhaps I'm actually practicing CPD without even knowing it. ?

 

[Pretty Mouth]

Here's an man who's been taking CPD very seriously. Can anyone tell me who he is?

Sign in - Google Accounts

 

[stevethesparks]

They done him the world of good. Looking him up at companies house he went in and and went out of business in the same year.