Advice please! Scotland

[Julius1989]

Hi everyone,
please be prepared for a short sob story but I really need advice. I have recently qualified as a service and maintenance engineer. I did a four year advanced modern apprenticeship (SVQ2maintenance of system components then SVQ3 Service, maintain system components and commissioning buildingengineering services) Also as part of the course I sat the 17th edition. I have a competency certificate that was issued by my college outlining the electrical training that I have done.

Basically the course was multi skilled building services course. And it wasn't a noddy course, constant essays (4000+ words each), practical assessments, knowledge papers, on site evidence, as well as a separate electrical training log/training books that were separate form the main course. A large part of the course was electrical maintenance, also electrical work associated with other parts of the trade. To put it shortly I'm not a plumber who know's what a multimeter is, I'm not a plastic spark, I'm a commercial/industrial maintenance engineer.

So here is my issue. My work have just stopped me from carrying out any electrical work at all unsupervised. I'm not trying to claim I'm an s**t hot electrician. I'm not going about rewiring entire buildings. I'm talking about maintenance work e.g. changing ballasts and igniters in flood lamps, the odd plug/light switch face plate, swapping the odd contactor, disconnecting motors and pumps for maintenance. That sort of thing.

Now all of these things are well within my capability and they were also well within the scope of my training. In fact I spent a sizeable portion of my college time being trained by the colleges electrical department. Also many of my college colleagues who qualified in my class carry out this kind of work.

Questions:

1. Can I carry out this kind of low end electrical maintenance in commercial/industrial buildings as I am?
   
2. (If above is no) what do I have to do to be able to do it? (short courses etc)
   
3. Will I have to spent an another 3 years doing another apprenticeship to gain approved electrician status just to change ballasts and igniters?
   
4. Have I just spent four years studying electrical maintenance for nothing?
   
5. Are my ex-college colleagues carrying out electrical maintenance work illegally?
6. Who do I ask to confirm the above? (local building control, the Scottish government?)

Just looking for a few straight answers


Many thanks in advance


Julius

 

[Marvo]

How long have you been doing this kind of work with their approval? Did something change between then and now? What reasons did they cite for stopping you carrying out electrical maintenance? Are you sure this is a technically motivated decision and not a political one?

 

[Julius1989]

Hi Marvo,
I've been doing electrical maintenance unsupervised since I got my SVQ2 (2.5 years ago). Since then I've got an SVQ3 and a city and guilds 17th qualification. They basically said I never should have been doing electrical work without supervision because my apprenticeship isn't endorsed by SELECT and it's not entirely electrical based. Like I said Electo/mechanical maintenance engineer not electrician...




Julius