Mr new guy needs advice

Gash1888 · Apr 23, 2012

Hi folks, looking for some advice. I have 16th edition BS7671:2001 which I sat in 2004, I have been working as a maintenance electrician on a large industrial plant ever since, I am now 30 and thinking of starting my own business as a sole trader electrician, domestic and commercial, 1st I know that 17th edition is required and I am looking for available courses at present but in the meantime what domestic electrical work can I carry out, if any?
2nd for inspection and testing is this covered within 17th edition or is it a separate certificate?
3rd would be looking to incorporate renewables instalations into my work, any courses worth doing that people could recommend?

Any help appreciated guys thanks in advance

nick182 · Apr 23, 2012

oh no i didnt mean it like that im sorry.. i didnt realise, my bad.

Gash1888 · Apr 23, 2012

I didn't intend this thread to turn into bitching session guys, merely looking for some advice for an electrician who's qualifications are a bit out of date, good luck to anyone who chooses to be an electrician no matter how they train, gain skills, what sector they choose, we're all here to learn and although I agree the correct training sorts the men from the boys, however apprenticeships are few and far between and these training courses are sometimes the only option people have! I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship when I was young but also wouldn't diss these courses either as they help towards gaining knowledge required to one day becoming what we can class as a "qualified electrician"

No prejudice, just sitting on the fence, have an open mind

lfcsparkycus · Apr 23, 2012

Engineer54 said:
I take it, ...These are the people you gained your electrical training with!!

yes i done c & g 2 & 3 with them

Knobhead · Apr 23, 2012

They should all have government funding withdrawn. The money can then be spent on providing apprentice trained electricians.

There’s a surfeit of domestic and a severe lack of industrial electricians. No you can’t step across the border with a 3 week course. Learning safe isolation is one thing, what you going to do after that to make a repair?

Knobhead · Apr 23, 2012

Yes, I'm in GRUMPY mode!

nick182 · Apr 23, 2012

precisely.. this industry needs to hire more apprentice's and stop cramming in 4 years of work into 17 days..

wade88 · Apr 23, 2012

malcolmsanford said:
I think I must have wasted 39 year and 150+ odd days of my life .................I could have done other things and then took a 17 day course and be competent................. all that BS I was fed as a young 16 yr old eh, 5 yr apprentice, 4 more years at night school for HNC and HND and then course after course for updating things ...............thousands of pounds spent, years wasted, and it could all be done in 17 days..............

I wonder if the barrel as finally had it's bottom scraped yet, or can we condense it into an afternoon in the local cafe and a few lads who know a bit

Certain promotional cereal boxes also offer a pamphlet on electrical safety, design and install after you have collected 6 tokens, once you recieve and have read the pamphlet there is a 10 question multiple choice test on beano characters and then you receive your electricians badge in the post....its by the best way to obtain all the quals you need. Nutritious too....

Silly Sausage · Apr 23, 2012

Gash, now look what you've started!

All this is the legacy of Government's 'desire' to get everyone skill trained and 50% of the population to be graduates (because it reduces unemployment figures...no, surely not?), which just ends up devaluing said qualifications.
I've nothing against that, everyone is entitled to education, but what is the point when the jobs aren't there to be filled by all these qualified people.
There must be hellava lot of angry & disillusioned people out there.
Unfortunately I can't think of an easy solution.

End of political rant for this year.