Glad to see the domestic work is booming in the midlands

[Amp David]

Just had a news letter from My Local Electrician and saw the article in it.

Plug in to success with the UK


Paragraph 6, :38:

 

[Engineer54]

I must be missing something here, but isn't that where a time-served, qualified electrician comes in?
I don't install gas systems when I am rewiring a house, I get a gas engineer in. That doesn't mean that I will go bust!

One of my points too mate, The guy is more than willing to further de-skill our industry because it means more opportunities to cash in. What he can't or don't want to see, is that it won't be all those associated trades that will be going out of business, it'll be the qualified electricians he has robbed of there trade....

 

[oldtimer]

Guys I know this post has been an eyeopener but just to say he will not be back on as somebody with his ego cuts and run hence why the wee dig ie you guys have caught me out so heres a dig before I retreat and look like I am taking the moral high ground.

Well been on this forum 3 years and this post tells me everything that is wrong in our trade and yes at times its frustrating because these clowns are running the show but there is one thing I have learned is that when people tell me that this country is the leader when it comes to standards well I am sorry we are no better than some currupt third world country we just better in dressing it up for public consumption.

I would also say that when you hear a politician slag off Europe remember we are the clowns for letting them brainwash us to thinking Europe is the Boogy man here because lets face it they have electricians registration schemes yep you can fool some of the people all the time..............................................................

 

[Guitarist]

Because the electrical profession has always been seen as very lucrative, it was inevitable that many people and organisations would find a way to capitalise on that illusion.
Unfortunately, our profession is now saturated with people who have completed a few weeks of training and believe themselves to be "fully qualified".
Of course there have always been DIY'ers and trades who have "had a go at electrics", but these people didn't set themselves up, with limited knowledge, to practice their skills full-time in peoples' homes.

 

[Adam W]

This term "fully qualified" seems to get bandied around rather a lot. I'd be interested to hear what TradeSkills4U define as being a 'full' set of qualifications, and what the alternative is. From his post the MD of TradeSkills 4U seems to have admitted that they package together a load of certificates in response to what customers want, ie being called "fully qualified" in the shortest amount of time, rather than complying with any specific guidelines, because apparently there aren't any.
I would use TradeSkills4U's definition of a "fully qualified electrician" to compare with that of the JIB.

I get the impression TradeSkills4U would be happy to sell someone a standalone 17th edition course and call them a 'fully qualified electrician' if it's what they ask for and will pay for.

"If I give you an extra fifty quid can I have my picture taken wearing a black gown and mortarboard, holding a scroll?"


Considering there's apparently no formal training requirements for electricians we could soon see the '1 day wonder':

9:00 Registration
9:10 "What is an electrician?"
10:30 Tea break
11:00 Introduction to terminology
11:30 Navigating the regs
12:00 Buffet lunch
13:00 Exam tips and tricks
13:30 Setting up your business
14:30 Tea Break
15:00 City & Guilds 2382 Exam
16:00 Graduation as a fully qualified electrician.

 

[Guitarist]

This term "fully qualified" seems to get bandied around rather a lot. I'd be interested to hear what TradeSkills4U define as being a 'full' set of qualifications, and what the alternative is. From his post the MD of TradeSkills 4U seems to have admitted that they package together a load of certificates in response to what customers want, ie being called "fully qualified" in the shortest amount of time, rather than complying with any specific guidelines, because apparently there aren't any.
I would use TradeSkills4U's definition of a "fully qualified electrician" to compare with that of the JIB.

I get the impression TradeSkills4U would be happy to sell someone a standalone 17th edition course and call them a 'fully qualified electrician' if it's what they ask for and will pay for.

"If I give you an extra fifty quid can I have my picture taken wearing a black gown and mortarboard, holding a scroll?"


Considering there's apparently no formal training requirements for electricians we could soon see the '1 day wonder':

9:00 Registration
9:10 "What is an electrician?"
10:30 Tea break
11:00 Introduction to terminology
11:30 Navigating the regs
12:00 Buffet lunch
13:00 Exam tips and tricks
13:30 Setting up your business
14:30 Tea Break
15:00 City & Guilds 2382 Exam
16:00 Graduation as a fully qualified electrician.

Only an hour for lunch?

 

[Swicade]

To be fair it's not just TradeSkills4U there's a whole glut of them all jumped on the same bandwagon.

Still trying to work out which trade is gonna be these skillz center's target after they've finished with the sparks because they're gonna have to hit somewhere to keep the cash rolling in AND to give those they've trained up on these crash courses some other skillz due to the saturation of the electrical trade.

 

[Engineer54]

Guys I know this post has been an eyeopener but just to say he will not be back on as somebody with his ego cuts and run hence why the wee dig ie you guys have caught me out so heres a dig before I retreat and look like I am taking the moral high ground.

Well been on this forum 3 years and this post tells me everything that is wrong in our trade and yes at times its frustrating because these clowns are running the show but there is one thing I have learned is that when people tell me that this country is the leader when it comes to standards well I am sorry we are no better than some currupt third world country we just better in dressing it up for public consumption.

I would also say that when you hear a politician slag off Europe remember we are the clowns for letting them brainwash us to thinking Europe is the Boogy man here because lets face it they have electricians registration schemes yep you can fool some of the people all the time..............................................................

Whilst i agree with virtually everything you say here OT, ...i would say that these training companies have never fooled those electricians already in the electrical industry... But then we are the least of there worries, they are far more interested in those shelf stacker's down at ASDA's and Tesco's!! lol!!!

Now i wonder if there are similar training schemes in any of the major European countries, ...NOT!!!

I was reading on the net, the local newspaper for Cyprus web addition a little while ago, although i can't be sure, i think this same company was offering these quick courses in Cyprus too. Why a Cypriot would want a UK qualification, that he doesn't need in Cyprus, leads me to believe they are encouraging immigration of DI's into the UK now too!!

 

[alarm man]

To be fair it's not just TradeSkills4U there's a whole glut of them all jumped on the same bandwagon.

Still trying to work out which trade is gonna be these skillz center's target after they've finished with the sparks because they're gonna have to hit somewhere to keep the cash rolling in AND to give those they've trained up on these crash courses some other skillz due to the saturation of the electrical trade.

im just waiting for a politcians tile to fall off,then its a free for all..

 

[SW1970]

Surely there's enough weight around to show that "fully qualified electrician" status cannot be achieved on these basic courses. The issue is that there is no body that cares about this. If the industry bodies and the IEE or others cared, they would call in Trades Descriptions and the Advertising Standards Authority to tackle this. Once again, this situation will only change if the IEE secures legal status for the titles of Engineer and Engineering Technician, and then sets up experience and qualification schemes to use these titles appropriately for domestic and light commercial electrical works. The IEE seems to wrestle with this once in a while but there doesn't seem to be much outcome...

 

[SW1970]

i would say that these training companies have never fooled those electricians already in the electrical industry... But then we are the least of there worries, they are far more interested in those shelf stacker's down at ASDA's and Tesco's!!

You're right E, but that's the point; when you say in the electrical industry, anyone working outside of domestic or light commercial isn't subject to this problem (thank the Lord). Just for the entertainment value I'm tempted to phone up a local Electrical Trainee and ask him what he thinks I should do with nuisance tripping on my circuit breaker, and when he asks what breaker it is tell him it's a Masterpact STR rated at 1000A.

 

[trev]

Still trying to work out which trade is gonna be these skillz center's target after they've finished with the sparks because they're gonna have to hit somewhere to keep the cash rolling in

They've already started round our way mate. You, yes You could become a Electrical Trainee (or even less perhaps) plasterer, tiler, brickie or joiner at a centre near us.

 

[Engineer54]

You're right E, but that's the point; when you say in the electrical industry, anyone working outside of domestic or light commercial isn't subject to this problem (thank the Lord). Just for the entertainment value I'm tempted to phone up a local Electrical Trainee and ask him what he thinks I should do with nuisance tripping on my circuit breaker, and when he asks what breaker it is tell him it's a Masterpact STR rated at 1000A.

You and i know that, but unfortunately no-one outside of the industry will know anything about the 17 day so-called electrician, so you will all get tarred with the same brush along the way....
Nothing stopping these 17 day'ers from undertaking work in the light commercial sector or even the light industrial sector either... There's no restrictions whatsoever past the Domestic arena.

It'll be easy for these guy's to take work on, in shops offices and the like, at knock down prices with their knock down knowledge of what they are doing. ....As i say, you will all get tarred with the same brush eventually, as cheap semi skilled labour....

 

[stan794]

I think we need to end this one now. Point made. I agree with you having done one myself and joined a scam, not TS4u but the other one that ends in 4u, don't matter which there all inadequate training unless your doing very simple stuff.