Advice!!!!

[Kirkster]

Hi, I am due to leave the Army after 22 years in the Infantry this year and am looking at retraining as an electrician in the midlands, anybody recommend courses I could do during my resettlement and or any work Placements that might be availible, asking a lot I am sure but you don't get if you don't ask. Thanks in advance, I hope Lee

 

[johnboy6083]

think seriously whether this is what you want to do mate. if you want to be a sparks, then the only avenue open to you without spending 4 years in colleg, is the quick courses open to you at the resettlement centre in aldershot. They will only give you the very basic skills on domestic work.

this area is flooded with labour at the moment, because of the advent of the quick courses. Also in the next few years, the governing bodies of our industries are ensuring that anyubody with the responsibilty of signing their own work off, is qualified to NQF level 3 as a minimum. The quick course will not give you this.

With the quick course, it is almost certain that you will not get work as an electricain, unless you work for yourself, or are lucky and get in with a one man band who does only domestic.

im sorry to paint such a bleak picture, but the construction industry is really suffering at the moment, and domestic is suffering the most, as people havent got the money available to renovate their houses, and to them, the electrics are not a priority (how wrong they are).

Good luck mate,

John

 

[Kirkster]

Thanks John, I understand the courses available on provide the basics and I got no intention of passing myself of as an electrician, all I want is a bit of knowledge to get a foot on the door, no doubt it will be tough, but I'm afraid my descision to join the infantry all those years ago mean I have no option but to start from scratch, it should be fun! But I can only try.

 

[pmac10]

Kirkster, after 22 years i would assume you are a SNCO if not WO1, why not do the courses at Aldershot (17th Ed, etc) and use your other transferrable skills to do project management or the like? gotta agree with johnyboy on this one, bear in mind all the guys leaving the REME and Royal Engineers, not to mention the RAF and Navy with the same idea and years of electrical/engineering experience. good luck anyhow.

 

[Kirkster]

Cheers PMac, yeah I am going to do the courses at the spot in Aldershot, the package we get is pretty good, never thought about the project management side, and your right there are some useful transferable skills to use, but I'd like to start at the bottom my concern would be managing a job where I knew less than the blokes I'm managing, I am just going to try to get a trainee position in a larger company, with the courses I can get through resettlement as an "extra" to my CV, hopefully my CV will get me a look in? Waffling a bit but I think it makes sense.