Looking to get into HV, need help

[shaun88]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on here. *Im currently a Jib Electrician, recently out of my time and had a year out travelling. Now im back im looking for a change and am very interested in getting involved in HV work. Not really sure were to start, what courses i need and what the demand for work is out there. Any advise would go along way
Cheers Shaun

 

[sparks_114]

You need to obtain your HV license and to be honest I don't think there is much difference in pay and also with HV it's not really for the one man band types as nearly always you will have to be an employee. The plus side is that once in employment you've no worries as you have a steady salary regardless and in most cases a job for life (if you choose to stick with it). Cheers

 

[shaun88]

Is it a full qualification or a short course? to be honest i am looking for a more steady salary as im with the agencies at the minute which is very secure work. Not to sure which route i want to take in HV work yet eg rail work, offshore. I understand its quite had to get into this type of work when you have no experience and its more of who you no but i am serious about getting into it.

 

[shaun88]

isnt very secure***

 

[vaughant]

Just completed the high voltage awareness course run by Scottish Power up in Cumbernauld near Glasgow and it was very interesting,scary stuff!!!
The course is £1250 and of course a weeks lodge in a hotel etc as your about 200 miles away in Preston so too far to commute.
Then the exam is £450 and takes a full day,part 1,part 2 and a practical,if you fail part 1,you can still do part 2,if you fail part 2 you have to do the course again,if you fail part 1,pass part 2 (wasn`t he from Phileaus Fogg),you can do the practical,but you must come back and do part 1 to achieve the City and Guilds grading.

Part 1 is a regs type set of questions,open book but really worth just learning it,even parrot fashion. Part 2 is writing a switching sequence out at a given location around the complex of various types of switching equipment and the practical is all about remembering it.

It`s a pretty intensive course and they don`t encourage you to take the test straight away.

********EDIT**********

It just came to me!!!!They run the same course in Liverpool so you could commute quite easily,price is the same and they offer the facility to go straight into the exam on the Friday.

Pretty much essential for any offshore/petrochemicals industry to look at you really unless you have a contact in there.

 

[DurhamSparky]

did various HV training at Middlesbrough Faraday Centre. going back soon to do another course with them..!

site i work on is HV to the Max and new site they building near seaham will also be HV to the Max..! job for life??? probably is considering most the engineers here don't want to go near it..! i must just be stupid...!

 

[Engineer54]

Please tell me, .....That this one week course doesn't give you ''Authorised Person'' Status??

Awareness is one thing, being Authorised to switch, open energised switchboards, terminate/connect MV/HV cables, alter on load tap changers etc, alter or work on auto control wiring etc is a whole new ball game!! And that can't be learnt in a week, not by any stretch of the imagination!!!

 

[madmac]

I have WI1,EN1 and SR3&4 Scottish Power Authorisations and they can potentially be done over a matter of weeks!!! These allow me to work on isolated plant/apparatus adjacent to the live HV system and independent entry to substations with live exposed HV busbars and to recieve and cancel permits for work and limited works certificates respectively.
Is is hard to get on these courses? well in most cases you have to know someone and the most common way of employment is self employed through and agency as they have to sponsor you to go on the courses.
It IS NOT dependable constant work, it is actually seasonal due to the utility companies not wanting guys working on the system during the high demand months of winter so you will probably be on the dole unless you've kept your SJIB/JIB card up to date and can get a job.
The money is good especially through the agencies but that has to take in your holiday/sickness/bank hols/travel time/travel expenses etc. and you can still get pumped with a seconds notice.
But the real big issues are the scores of labourers getting authorised persons due to them knowing somebody(nudge nudge, wink wink), and they are used as policemen to keep sparks in line by RUNNING the jobs now!!! And are being used to drive down the costs of wages and safety by being willing to do anything they are told regardless of safety or any agreements by the men!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Engineer54]

What do you mean by Labourers being given ''Authorised Person'' status?? The basic level of education for such a person (in my day anyway) was ONC/OND!!

These MV/HV courses always were difficult to gain, many had to take on lower paid positions with the regional electricity board companies (DNOs) to get that training. Some of us were lucky enough to be employed by the bigger industrial's that could get there electrical staff onto electricity board (DNO) training courses along with there own employee's.

These courses in total took around a year of part time training. Within that period i remember sitting at least 2 papers, that had to be passed above a given level, to get your National Authorised Person Registration card. Mine was and still is upto 36KV and as a Recognised Person upto 66KV.


It seems that the present powers that be, are determined to undermine the MV/HV Authorised Person status etc to that where Labourers are issuing instructions etc. Someone somewhere is gonna die or seriously injured or maimed, if they haven't already. God help the UKs electrical industry, where solid proven standards now mean nowt !!!

 

[shaun88]

cheers for the replies, very helpful, although as am still wondering were to actually start. *I'm still not sure what courses i have to undertake(as they are quite a few) and what line of HV work they will lead me to.i don't want to waste money on courses that are not actually necessary at this point in time. As i have no experience i will need to start at the basics.*

 

[madmac]

What do you mean by Labourers being given ''Authorised Person'' status?? The basic level of education for such a person (in my day anyway) was ONC/OND!!

These MV/HV courses always were difficult to gain, many had to take on lower paid positions with the regional electricity board companies (DNOs) to get that training. Some of us were lucky enough to be employed by the bigger industrial's that could get there electrical staff onto electricity board (DNO) training courses along with there own employee's.

These courses in total took around a year of part time training. Within that period i remember sitting at least 2 papers, that had to be passed above a given level, to get your National Authorised Person Registration card. Mine was and still is upto 36KV and as a Recognised Person upto 66KV.


It seems that the present powers that be, are determined to undermine the MV/HV Authorised Person status etc to that where Labourers are issuing instructions etc. Someone somewhere is gonna die or seriously injured or maimed, if they haven't already. God help the UKs electrical industry, where solid proven standards now mean nowt !!!

Engineer54, I couldn't believe it either!!! It is all true, a labourer with absolutely NO previous experience can be put through the Scottish Power authorisation scheme by an agency or company and as long as he passes the written course ( which most people could do with enough exam/cram), he then only has to brass neck it through a one to one interview!!! And personally, if you ask me I think there are bungs/under the table monies/bribes etc etc going on as most of these guys are only used as policemen to watch sparky's time keeping and task men on how much work is being done!!! because they can't wire panels/marshalling kiosks or do any of the primary works i.e. busbar installs/isolator/cb/disconnectors etc. and they are on very good money usually double what they could earn in any other field, and that is why they are so usefull because they will bend over backwards to grass on the boys and |"save the mob money"!!!!
I am authorised to work on all the voltage ranges from LV/11KV UP TO 400KV and am well and truely peed off at he situation as I am a qualified approved electrician/wireman.