Certification - How to obtain it asap?

[Petejx]

Hi to everyone,

I really need to know this answer ASAP. I have been doing house & commercial renovations and the like for twenty plus years, mostly for my own retail businesses (not directly connected), but thanks to unforeseen circumstances and the credit crunch I am now looking for other ways to earn my keep. I studied various engineering HND's and a degree some years ago and thought that I might use this, and my practical experience, into becoming fully accredited as an electrician.

My problem is twofold - firstly I do not have the funds to begin to attempt any fast track courses and secondly I would be bored out of it in a matter of minutes covering any of it. However, as I understand it, no-one can be an electrician commercially or as an employed person without some extra letters after their name - which for most people is sensible. I have trawled the internet only to find that all the sites refer to people re-training who haven't got much idea what is involved in the first place save for a meter, screwdriver and wires!

I apologise for sounding haughty but I seem to be caught up in some sort of skills / professional development time warp and wonder if there was a way you can just sit the exams / practical work or something? In my case there really isn't much point wasting a month or so on the courses I have seen advertised and my internet searching skills are obviously below par if I cannot find the answer online! Please advise me accordingly. I also hope that this thread might be available to others out there who may find themselves in the same boat? Many thanks for having read this far!

Peter

 

[johnnyb]

You i think are looking for free courses mate, due to the lack of funds, you are going to struggle i think.
you probably have been going down the job centre plus root , unfortunately you won,t be able to get on a course through them, they don,t run them.
So i think you need to save up, and there are plenty of private training companies that are out there the problem is its goin to cost yer my freind, you know the saying you don,t get out fer nowt these days.

 

[Spudnik]

In addition to the above, you may be able to enroll on the 17th edition full update course which is around 5 days in total including GOLA through a local centre.

Some of the scheme providers do the courses, but, at the end of the day, you need to spend probably in excess of £2000 for the course, scheme membership, insurances, test equipment, tools etc, the list goes on.

The main thing is also, you need to be fully conversant with the current regulations and how to interpret them. Its a mine field.

Good luck!

 

[johnnyb]

100% right there mate, a mine field.

 

[Petejx]

Many thanks for your very quick input there! I have pretty much all the tools etc. and I may, just may be able to scrape a couple of grand together but after saying that it sounds like you're not too keen to have another electrician around?!? I am not sure exactly what the situation is job or work wise with electricians at the moment but if the rest of the economy is anything to go by it sounds like the training advert for 37,000 new electricians needed over the next few years I saw earlier today by one of the training companies is probably out of date!?!

So, accreditation / certification is all about forking out money (as usual) but you mention a figure of £2,000 but all the ones I have clicked on seem more than double that! If you cannot direct me to one of the better sites / places are there any that I should absolutely avoid? Mine fields - nothing new there either....

I really appreciate your comments so far and thank you again in advance.

Peter

 

[pushrod]

TBH i think you might be surprised at the gaps in your knowledge if you were to access a proper course , knowing most of it already is not really good enough.
To just pay for exams could be a very costly mistake. The minefield thing is true - nobody dies from a leaking tap.

 

[Petejx]

Many Thanks to all that responded. I have taken on board the comments and am keen to attempt a course but am not sure where the best place to start is - at least somewhere close to Newport / Bristol if there is anywhere would be good from the point of view of minimising travel and B&B costs. One other point is that I have tried a few dead ends career-wise now and am apprehensive in so far as finding a job is concerned. The courses advertised give the impression that its a foregone conclusion that you will find work having completed the courses but I am rather more skeptical due to the downturn. What's it really like out there? Also, I am 44 this year so really want to make the right career choice finally - am I too late?

 

[pushrod]

You're just a youngster - i have taken this up after 30 years in a different career. Fortunately i am not looking for a huge income from it but i suspect that if you are planning on being self employed it will start slowly and depend on how satisfied you leave your customers ( if you know what i mean) so that with advertising and word of mouth you can build up a decent sized client base. Sorry can't help you with colleges as am in the midlands.

 

[Petejx]

Pushrod - thanks for your comments! As you can tell I am still suffering from my mid-life crisis - but it is surely sure to end shortly as I start to get insurance quotes from SAGA!!! Until then before I retire and before beginning my next career I thought I should do something to try to build up a pension! Anyway, apart from convincing the wife, I am quite keen to give it a go but don't really want to be self-employed any more - it feels like a one way life ticket now as all attempts to become employed at anything with my background just don't seem to be doing the trick... Anyway, thanks again..

 

[Spudnik]

The construction industry is getting hit hard and unless you want to try and scape a living being S/E, its probably not the best career move as even fully qualified electricians are struggling to gain employment.

Certainly not trying to put you off, however, if i was in your position, i would not be looking to get into this trade in this current climate.

If you can keep keep going in your current position and do evening classes to gain the quals you need then by the time you have done those, things may have improved.

Qualifications in this game are very important and no one will employ you without any. When i trained years ago, i thought i had a huge basic knowledge but when you start the course, you soon realise that what you already know is just the tip of the iceberg.

Whichever route you take, good luck, and if you decide give this trade a go then we will try and help as much a possible!

 

[Adam W]

Unfortunately many of these training companies give the impression that becoming an electrician is a way to get rich quick, however to attain the status of 'approved electrician' takes years and costs thousands.

A lot of people seem to have the idea that becoming an electrician consists of buying a van, putting an advert in the yellow pages and going around putting plugs on table lamps, but to pass all the exams requires an understanding of seemingly irrelevant subjects such as how different types of motors work, how electricity is generated, supplied, transmitted and distributed, selection of containment and cable types, not to mention the minefield of regulations involved.

I'm not trying to put you off, just prepare you for the worst - I've met a lot of people who think degrees in "related" fields such as engineering or IT are more than enough preparation but have struggled to find work.