I need help guys

[Abz]

HELLO,

I've been thinking of becoming an electrician for a while
i'm at the momment a team leader at a retail company, i've done a bit of research about the course and that
and im thinking to do the 2356 level 2&3 course, i saved abit of money and im thinking to start in feb with this
private college, the course is 13 weeks and after that i gotta do NVG, WHat do you guys think?
IS THE COURSE IM ABOUT TO DO RIGHT?
Thank you

 

[richardsolway]

Time - served......the only true way to learn, experiance is the key. Having knowledge is not as good as having knowledge and experiance, and by being taught by another timeserved experianced person. Some firms do accept adult trainees (like mature aprenticeships with better pay).

 

[Abz]

i've been looking for apprenticeship for 2 years now, they all sayin its for 16-18 and im 21.

 

[Specialist]

No mate: I'm not talking about an apprenticeship, i'm talking about asking what sort of chance you'd have of being taken on as an Electrician once you finished the course. I would'nt like to see you spend a lot of money on this course & then still be in the same position. Does the course include Part P building regs as well ? most firms are going to ask for this otherwise you won't be able to do Domestic wiring.

 

[Abz]

yeah it includes part p aswell, i will speak to the local firms and see what they say, thank you very much.

 

[DNS1]

i've been looking for apprenticeship for 2 years now, they all sayin its for 16-18 and im 21.

Yeah, it's a bitch. I'm turning 30 in March so way past the stage where i can do an apprenticeship (or live on apprentice money)

The fast track courses have a bad rep because so many places just want to grab your money and promise you the earth to get you to enroll.

Although it's not ideal, I'm having to go down the fast track route myself, although I've managed to find a much more reputable provider than most and have accepted that I'll be an installer when I finish the course, not a full blown electrician. If you don't let the cowboy training centres drag you in and accept that you'll need a LOT of real life experience in addition to the certificates, I reckon you've got as good a chance as anyone.

In the meantime, I'd highly recommend getting yourself some of the industry standard books (On Site Guide, Building Regs and BS7671) and reading them all cover to cover. You'll need those 3 regardless of what course you eventually end up on and it's a good way to make a cheap-ish start.

By the way, which college/training provider have you been looking at?

 

[Specialist]

Your welcome Abz, sorry it's not that encouraging but it's better to find out now than after you've spent the money. Please come back & let me know what you find out.

 

[Abz]

ok, i will

 

[Abz]

what center is that andwhat course you doing?
and why you accepted to become an installer?

 

[DNS1]

what center is that andwhat course you doing?
and why you accepted to become an installer?

Me?

Able Skills in Dartford, they've got good reviews.

I've accepted that I'll be a DI at first, simply because it's a route into the trade and out of my current job. Once I'm there I plan to start on the 2330/2357 and eventually intend to be a full sparks.

 

[Abz]

yeah thats the center im looking to join aswell, i heard good things about that center, they advice me to do the 2330 level 2 and 3, and the course going to start in feb

 

[Des 56]

There are many people with this same objective and I dont for one moment begrudge or wish to dampen their enthusiasm to change career and enter the electricql trade
however,having been in this trade since 16 and getting ready to hang up the tools in the not to distant

Why oh why are so many entering a trade that has changed immeasurably from what I can remember and is changing faster now than ever before and all this change being in the negative direction to what once constituted what it was to be an electrican

It seems the draw of being in the trade must be based on what high esteem it was held in for so many years and that high esteem continues even though the reality is that its losing its skill base
By that I mean the proposals to section off the traditional standard tasks to lower rated levels and remove the electricians involvement,with contaimnent constructors, wiremen and testers and what ever else.at lower hourly rates

In domestic work the onset of part p, which has again sectioned off part of the trade and created domestic workers who may not ever experience the other 95% of what an electrician was usually skilled at

I say this because the financial draw of being a spark has to be very poor, because there are many many ways to earn a living that pays better,has better future prospects and may not involve the cost and beurocracy that goes hand in hand with the present operators

It is not in the financial interests of the training providors to make known my sort of negative opinion
I would however urge these people who will pay quite a fair whack of pounds to do their homework well before making the expensive decision

I have 2 sons who are at apprenticeship age and thankfully,neither of them had any interest in becoming an electrican

I give these negative comments,not as some miserable old git who has had enough of electrics,but as someone who always found the trade the most interesting and lucrative trade to have been in for so many years
However,given what is happening in this trade over the last few years,if I were looking for a career and know what I know about the plight of this trade, it would not attract my attention as a worthwhile future career

I believe you need to be absolutely sure that this declining trade is "the" trade you want and if electrics are your interest then you will enjoy the work even though the prospects are dismal

 

[DNS1]

You raise some very good points Des.

Sadly it's the way of the modern world, not just the electrics trade. Everyone wants cheap and cheerful, rather than a quality job.

I'm currently cabin crew for an airline and my job has changed immeasurably in the past 10 years and every effort to fight it has failed (I'm sure we all remember the British Airways strikes of a couple of years ago.) My employers are trying to push me and my experienced, reasonably paid colleagues out of the door, so they can replace us with people with no experience and pay them £14k a year.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

You raise some very good points Des.

Sadly it's the way of the modern world, not just the electrics trade. Everyone wants cheap and cheerful, rather than a quality job.

I'm currently cabin crew for an airline and my job has changed immeasurably in the past 10 years and every effort to fight it has failed (I'm sure we all remember the British Airways strikes of a couple of years ago.) My employers are trying to push me and my experienced, reasonably paid colleagues out of the door, so they can replace us with people with no experience and pay them £14k a year.

yes but BA may also be trying to push you out the door if you were involved in those ridiculess strikes and the way that ..even though the BA cabin crews were paid more than other cabin crews you still chose to listen to all that tony woodley had to say to rustle up action...that wasn`t called for really anyway......then to top it off the "free trotskys"....or whatever the hell they were disrupted a meeting between willie walsh and unite.....all at the orders of a unite somebody in that room ....this was going on whilst the vast majority of those in employment/self employed at the time just got on with it and got themselves to work without making a racket and causing disturbance/attention seeking ......so dont look for sympathy from me DNS1....you wont get it.....

 

[DNS1]

Believe me, I'm not looking for sympathy mate! Unfortunately that joke of a trade union ensured there would be none, they really made us look like spoilt children. I actually resigned from it, not because I didn't care about my pay and conditions, but because Tony Woodley and his cronies were a total embarrassment!

On the subject of pay though, just because one company is paying bugger all, doesn't mean it's right that everyone does.

We've seen enough threads on here from experienced sparks complaining that they're losing work because people are paying inexperienced Part Pees pennies to do CU changes etc. It's the same thing really, equally unfair.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Believe me, I'm not looking for sympathy mate! Unfortunately that joke of a trade union ensured there would be none, they really made us look like spoilt children. I actually resigned from it, not because I didn't care about my pay and conditions, but because Tony Woodley and his cronies were a total embarrassment!

On the subject of pay though, just because one company is paying bugger all, doesn't mean it's right that everyone does.

We've seen enough threads on here from experienced sparks complaining that they're losing work because people are paying inexperienced Part Pees pennies to do CU changes etc. It's the same thing really, equally unfair.

yeah but you gets what you pays for...check out the "hall of shame photos" thread if you dont believe me.....