Help and Advice Career Progression

[marcus2610]

Hi all i'm Marcus and i am 38 and have just joined this site. A few years ago i ended up unemployed so decided after much thought i needed a career change. I packed myself off to my local college with all intentions of getting on an electrician course, much to my dismay all places were taken. The college offered me a place on the Domestic appliance service and repair course which i took, my thinking was it's an electrical field so was happy and met some great guys all 60 plus i might add. I completed the course and passed it no problem.

The following September i aquired a place on the electrical installation 2330 lvl 2 course and finished this with 4 distinctions and 2 passes, i had been working as a domestic appliance service engineer at the same time as this so my fault finding skills etc had greatly improved in the workshop and on the road. I completed the 2382 wiring regs last November with the intention of going straight on to do the 2391, but was unable to start the course in Jan because of the ammendments to the regs. What is my best course of action from here? as i need to do the 2330 lvl 3 and a year NVQ to be fully qualified. Any help and advice off you guys would be much appreciated. Thanks for listening.

 

[piratebillybob]

i was a late bloomer too :/

went onto nights at work so i could go back to college at the tender age of 30. Did two years at college, spent a year trying to find an apprenticeship and now im on a 4 year apprenticeship. Not the most direct route i admit but anyone reading these forums knows there isnt much choice out there.

have you got an apprenticeship or the opportunity to do jobs in two fields (either domestic, industrial or commercial?)

 

[marcus2610]

Hi piratebillybob, ahh the apprenticeship, i dont know if i hold much hope of getting on one at my age even tho my old man says i've got 30 yrs left in me still, lol. An apprenticeship would be good tho if i can find someone that will take me on as i know the markets aimed at 16-19 more at the min trying to get through the 2391 as and when i get a start date off college to try and keep employer costs down and see if that has any impact on whether i can get taken on. I'm confident on domestic installations even tho i dont have much xp

 

[RHawkins]

i was a late bloomer too :/

went onto nights at work so i could go back to college at the tender age of 30. Did two years at college, spent a year trying to find an apprenticeship and now im on a 4 year apprenticeship. Not the most direct route i admit but anyone reading these forums knows there isnt much choice out there.

have you got an apprenticeship or the opportunity to do jobs in two fields (either domestic, industrial or commercial?)

May I enquire how you got someone to take you on at 30? I am 30 now and just coming to the end of my 2nd year at college. Not many people are recruiting apprentices and those that are seem to only want under 19s (I think the Government still funds them to take 16-19 year olds on?). Can I also ask what course you took at college? Despite my college being listed as a C&G training centre they do not offer C&G certs, the only quals available to me are called "Performing Engineering Operations" in Electrical (awarded by EAL). I'm so much more reliable and motivated then the kids in my class but it is so frustrating when they get taken on purely because they are the right age, regardless of their horrific attitude towards work.

 

[piratebillybob]

yeah youve fallen into the same BS i fell into

The government in their finite wisdom have restricted the funding and support. So 16-19 year olds get 100% funding. 19-24 year olds get something like 50% funding and over 24's get zilch.

Which means as you get older the chances of you a) finding an apprentichsip or b) getting support for finding an apprenticship gets lower and lower.

My path was:

I went onto nights at work and went back to tech college.

Did 2330 level 2 full time in year one for about £900.
Then in my second year i did the 2330 level 3, part p, regs, 2392 inspection and testing, pat testing and management of pat testing. That also cost me about £800-£900. Which is pretty good value considering the amount of qualifications you get.

Spent a year begging and pleading my way around local companies offering £2.50 an hour.

But because youre over 19, the company that takes you on will have to pay for your NVQ level 3 (unless you offer to pay it) and theyll have to pay you the minimum wage after your 1st year of £6 something.

I got a few week trials but ended up with nothing. Most of the apprenticeships at apprenticeship.org require you to go through JTL but of course JTL only let you join if youre under 19 or something.

Basically its age discrimination but theyre not doing it explicitly so they get away with it.

In the end my last ditch attempt was the national companies that recruit at the start of the year. Im thinking power like eon, national grid. Water boards, british gas, london underground, the rail networks etc etc.

And i got lucky. The distinctions and hard work i did at college came through for me and i was taken on.

Its not perfect that instead of just finishing my qualifications with an 18 month site diary to be fully qualified ive now gone right back to the beginning and have to do 4 years electrical engineering apprenticeship. But the ball is still rolling.

Working for a national company is great. You get much much better job security, the pays not as good as if you were working for a JIB rate but they take much better care of you regarding health and safety, pay etc. So all in all i think ive really landed on my feet with a fantastic opportunity. And i dont think i would be as happy with another company or position so im really chuffed.

If i hadnt have been taken on then i probably would have given up as these really were my last chance saloon options.

Im now doing performing engineering operations nvq level 2. Then ill do the btec and my nvq level 3. Im going to be pushing for me to either to do a hnc or the 2391/AM2 at the end so im fully qualified in something.

Oh and when I was going through the application stages for the national companies a lot/the majority of people interviewed and taken on were mature guys in their mid twenties+

The national companies seemed to want someone who has academic history in their chosen field, proven job history etc over some kid they can pay £2 an hour.

Hope this helps

 

[RHawkins]

I think i've missed the boat then, not many colleges still offer C&G quals, as I said previously my college is listed as a C&G trainer (Yorkshire Coast College) but they put me on a PEO qual instead claiming it is the replacement for C&G who are pulling out of all college based learning except via apprenticeship. I can't work for a year at £2.50 an hour apprenticeship rates it's just not financially viable for me. I find it interesting they have put you on a PEO nvq lev 2 after all the quals you hold currently, as that is the exact course I am doing now and I don't have previous experience in this area. Presumably you had to keep working nights as well as doing apprenticeship for the first year then to keep financially afloat?

 

[piratebillybob]

i worked nights for two years plus full time at college.

The PEO is just the qualification theyve put all the apprentices on regardless of past qualifications. Its a bit daft i know to not make use of our past qualifications but im just glad im carrying on with it.

If you google 2330 level 3 there are still colleges offering it for a september 2012 start. It may just mean travelling to a further college to do it but as its part time that shouldnt be too much of a problem

 

[RHawkins]

I meant once you got the apprenticeship with the national company, did they offer only apprenticeship wage for the first year (£2.50) or did they immediately pay you minimum wage from the start (£6 whatever it is now). If it was the apprentice rate, how did you cope financially?

 

[piratebillybob]

well the royal mail start you off on year one at £16,000 but thats for a mechanical apprenticeship. Im on slightly less than that on my first year. All depends on the company but all the ones i saw, the national companies pay you a good wage from the start.

But youll be against at least 200 other people in the application process. The difference is that your age, experience and maturity will go for you not against you.

but you need to be quick, i started looking in January for national jobs. Get email alerts off those company websites or ring up and start asking when they start taking on applicants. Its mid march now, its possible theyve already closed the books for this year.

Dont also assume that because its a national company that youll have to move. My base is a 15 minute walk away from home.

 

[piratebillybob]

they also took me on when i was 33. So youve still got 3 more years until you get as old as i am Still plenty of time if you can stomach the constant rejection etc

 

[RHawkins]

I worked for Royal Mail for 10 years as a postman, I wasn't even aware they took on apprentices for anything, I thought all mechanical work was contracted out externally (we used to send our bikes/vans away for a few days to be fixed). The only apprenticeships I was aware of were for management where they would teach you how to be an unreasonable money man with 0 people skills and lack all understanding of what the job entails. As for rejection I have a ring binder full of "sorry the position has already been filled" type letters so i'm used to it! Thanks for all your help, I realise I "hijacked" a thread but I felt other older people may be interested in what you had to say, my course started out with 6 people over 25+, there are only 2 of us left as the others have become too disillusioned to continue. Ironically the 16 year olds who would have been kicked off the course for their attitude have all got apprenticeships with friends of Daddy, beware the next generation of sparks!

 

[piratebillybob]

yeah i noticed that. The kids who just got passes not distinctions because they "couldnt see the point of electrical principles" got apprenticeships because their dad knew someone. While the hard working people who tried desperately to get the best grades they could didnt get anything :/

The business is definitely who you know not what you know sometimes

 

[piratebillybob]

oh and the royal mail apprenticeship is here, but its mechanical not electrical...

Royal Mail Apprenticeships