Help getting an apprenticeship

[Splitz]

Hi everyone

A year ago I enroled with OLCI Ltd to train as an electrician. I have so far passed C&G 2330 level 2 and have just one exam to go to complete C&G 2330 level 3. I have passed the Installation (Buildings and Structures) Fault Diagnosis & Rectification assessment and two out of the three parts of the Installation (Buildings & Structures) Inspection, Testing & Commissioning assessments. I am due to take Part P exam over the coming weeks. I need to complete an onsite diary in order to finally gain my qualification as an electrician which involves proving my competence whilst working alongside a qualified electrician. In order to do this I need to find work with an electrical contractor but I am finding it very hard to get anybody to take me on as an apprentice. I don't have any connections in the industry as this was a complete career change for me and I am getting pretty desperate. I am a fit 52 year old with a wealth of experience in lots of diverse areas. I am based in a town called Southport which is on the north west coast between Preston and Liverpool, Manchester is about 40 minutes away. I have signed up with various internet sites that send me job vacancies daily, unfortunately these jobs are all for electricians with experience. One of the sites, indeed.co.uk, send me lots of job notifications but even when I have applied for positions I think I may have a remote chance of getting an interview they haven't once come back to me.

Any suggestions would be very gratefully accepted. Thanks a lot

 

[Farmelectrics]

google agency central and send your cv to as many as you can follow it up with reqular phone calls to them keep trying something allways turns up good luck

 

[KFH]

Splitz,

There are many requests like yours on here, the state of the economy makes it very difficult to get a position as a trainee. The one man bands, of which I am one, are reluctant to take on a trainee who will in a short period of time probable be in competition with them. Even with your knowledge a lot of time will need to be spend explaining how things are to be done and what needs to be done as well as checking that you have done it correctly so there is an investment on behalf of the company as well. You need to think what you are going to offer a company that takes you on and prepare to be flexible you may need to be prepared to spend a lot of time holding ladders, carrying tools, making tea etc as well as doing the dirty jobs in attics and chasing walls etc. You will have to sell/market yourself to the prospective employers and work on what benefit they are going to get from employing you. Visit potential employers to drop off a short application letter and ask to see whoever is responsible for hiring and you may strike lucky

Good luck

 

[Splitz]

Thanks a million for your frank and slightly depressing reply! When I parted with my £6000 a year ago I was full of excitement and hope about becoming an electrician but it is looking like I've made a very poor career choice as I simply can't get anybody to give me a chance. I based my decision to train as an electrician on 2 factors. 1. Electricians will always be in demand. 2. The burgeoning renewable energy market. The only factors I didn't take into account was the collapse of the banking industry and the governments hyper-borrowing which in turn has lead to a massive reduction in new house building and therefore a reduction in available work for electricians.
I would of course be willing to do anything, make tea, sweep up, go and get the butties and maybe do some electrical work!! My CV shows that I have been in sales and retail management, I wondered if that might go against me as it might look like I don't fit the typical profile of an apprentice electrician. Your advice is very valuable to me and I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post.

Splitz,

There are many requests like yours on here, the state of the economy makes it very difficult to get a position as a trainee. The one man bands, of which I am one, are reluctant to take on a trainee who will in a short period of time probable be in competition with them. Even with your knowledge a lot of time will need to be spend explaining how things are to be done and what needs to be done as well as checking that you have done it correctly so there is an investment on behalf of the company as well. You need to think what you are going to offer a company that takes you on and prepare to be flexible you may need to be prepared to spend a lot of time holding ladders, carrying tools, making tea etc as well as doing the dirty jobs in attics and chasing walls etc. You will have to sell/market yourself to the prospective employers and work on what benefit they are going to get from employing you. Visit potential employers to drop off a short application letter and ask to see whoever is responsible for hiring and you may strike lucky

Good luck

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Splitz, dont get downhearted, why not have a go yourself. Looking at the training you have done, you must have a fairly good idea about what it is all about. Get out and about, looking for building work that is ongoing and local to you, leave a card with the contractor, he may not use you now, but he will have an option if and when the regular sparky is too busy, or they have a fallout. Get into rental agents, that may turn something up, and look through local planning applications and send applicants a covering letter and business card. It is hard graft in the beginning, but persevere, and never admit to not being able to do something. you need to get on board with other local tradespeople, as in this game your competitors can also be your best allies. You have a background in sale etc, so you should be able to get your name out there easily.

This is what i did many years ago, and i didn't have a relevant qualification to my name. Thankfully i now teach the subject.

This is how easy it was, I had never heard of Gumtree, then a chance conversation cropped up, so i put a free ad on it, that brought me £5000 of work in a month, and a new customer who it turned out had 15 or so properties that needed maintaining.

Self employment is hard graft, as no doubt many on here will tell you, but when all said and done, the profit is yours to do with as you see fit.

Cheers............Howard